I'm Alive
by Peridoter
Summary: Negan has in finger in a lot of pies, Alexandria is one of them, and what comes with Alexandria are the survivors. One survivor in particular, Audrey, seems to stick in his mind over all the others, which makes his job a heck of a lot more difficult. With each of their interactions, she is able to chip away at his scary exterior and come to love what's underneath.
1. Chapter 1 - All Is Calm

Alexandria was very calm; it started to feel like a proper home again. A walker hadn't been seen inside the walls for a few weeks, and Rick had returned with his team victorious after killing every single one of Negan's men in an outpost close to Alexandria. Rick felt on top of the world. Nothing could've spoilt his day, nothing at all.

As the group's bloodied weapons were being cleaned and stashed away, Rick climbed the steps onto the porch of a quaint, white house. It was the home of Olivia, a larger than life lady who kept track of all inventory.

Rick didn't bother to knock, he swung the door open, letting it bounce against the wall. Olivia was busy playing with Judith, and the thump of the door against the wall made her jump, and drop the rattle she was shaking for the toddler.

'Rick!' Olivia heaved herself up off the floor and held a hand against her chest, 'Is everything alright?'

'We won!' Rick's giant smile was infectious, and Olivia found a grin creeping onto her face also. 'Those guys in the outpost, we don't have to worry about them anymore. Negan is no longer a concern.'

Olivia adjusted her glasses and paused for a second, 'So, what can I help you with, Rick?'

'I have a taste for some of that...what's that fancy wine called? The red one we found last week?'

'Chateau...rouge? I know the one you mean.' Olivia turned her head and yelled, 'Audrey! Get in here.'

A woman, no older than 25 shuffled into the room. Her arms were full with carrying tins, and she had a piece of paper in her mouth, an inventory list no less. She was Olivia's sister, but you wouldn't think they were related. Audrey's hair was a natural almond brown, and had the clearest blue eyes, despite all the sleepless nights and stress of the apocalypse. She was also of a heavier build than the average woman in Alexandria, not as big as her sister, but finding clothes to fit her was a slight mission in itself. As a result of this, she could never wear anything pretty, just baggy t-shirts and jeans.

'Audrey, fetch that wine, please.' Olivia demanded, turning her attention to Rick once more. 'So we're safe?'

'Absolutely.' Rick purred, walking across the room and picking up his daughter. 'You missed me?' he cooed, ruffling Judith's wispy hair.

Judith gave a shy smile, and covered her face. In the midst of a game of peekaboo, Audrey arrived with the wine. She plonked it on the kitchen counter and her gaze ran between both Rick and Olivia.

'One glass or two, Rick?' Audrey asked, motioning towards the cupboard which held their small supply of champagne flutes and wine glasses.

'No, just the bottle. I'm spending the night with Michonne. We can finally breathe easy for a while.' Rick grabbed the bottle by the neck with one hand, and held Judith in the other. As he approached the open door, he spun around. 'You girls have a drink too, whatever you like.'

Without hesitation, Olivia responded, 'No, that's fine. We have a job to do.'

'Rick!' Audrey piped up as he turned to leave, nerves cracking her voice. Rick spun around, a little miffed that he was being delayed a second time. 'Now that we're safe, can I be moved onto supply runs? You know I'm a good shot-'

'I think it's safer for you to be here, with Olivia.'

There was a short, awkward silence between them both, 'But when I came here you said-'

'A lot of things have changed since then, Audrey.' Rick interrupted again. 'Your place is here.'

Olivia closed the door behind Rick, since he had no hands free. She shook her head and began cleaning up the toys from Judith's playtime. 'I've told you, Aud, he's not gonna put you on supply runs.'

Audrey crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. 'And why the hell not?'

'Maybe because you're not...built for supply runs? You heard what happened to Denise.'

'Fuck you.'

'Just saying.'

Audrey stood there for a few seconds longer than needed, then turned her heels and walked to her bedroom. 'Go celebrate with Rick. We all know you wanna screw him.' She slammed the door behind her, and no more words were exchanged between the sisters.

Audrey lay awake all night, she couldn't settle. As the first glimmer of morning peeked through the curtains, she gave in and jumped out of bed. No-one was awake yet, or so she thought. It was unusually quiet in town, but that didn't bother her. After a quick shower, she threw on her shirt, hiked up her jeans and stepped into her boots.

Audrey approached the armoury and fiddled with a ring of keys. After finding the right one, she slid it into the hole and slowly turned. Although no-one was around, she was still trying to be careful. A satisfying clunk indicated the door was unlocked. Audrey heaved the heavy door open and took in a deep breath. It smelt like a concoction of burnt rubber, the sharpness of metal, and gunpowder. It sent a shiver up her spine. Her father used to serve in the military, and her youth was spent on gun ranges. He taught her everything he knew about guns, and more importantly, how to shoot one. Olivia wasn't too fussed with weaponry, instead spending her time with their mother learning how to cook.

Audrey picked up a handgun and wrapped her hands around it, feeling the weight of it. Pleasant memories came flooding back, and tears started to well up in her eyes. She was never allowed in here without Olivia.

'Pow.' Audrey giggled, pointing it at the wall.

'Audrey!'

The gun, through fumbling hands, fell to the floor. Audrey spun around, her eyes wide. She knew exactly who it was before she turned. 'Shit. Olivia.'

'I'll take those.' Olivia reached forwards and snatched the keys from Audrey's belt. 'I think you should leave.'

'The armoury, or Alexandria?' Audrey joked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

'Hmph.' Olivia shook her head as almost as if she was contemplating her answer. 'Just go, before I tell Rick.'

Audrey didn't bother picking the gun up from the floor. She walked straight past Olivia, 'You'd like that though, wouldn't you?'

'Shut up, child.'

'Bite me.'

Safe to say, there had been tension between the two sisters for quite some time. Even prior to the walker outbreak. Nobody in Alexandria was sure why, the sisters weren't very vocal about it, and Rick was fine to let those details slide. Everyone had their past, but not everyone has a long future in these trying times.


	2. Chapter 2 - Pablo

Rick and his crew had been gone longer than expected. As far as Audrey was aware, they were only taking Maggie to the Hilltop for her pregnancy complications. Something didn't feel right. There was an uneasy atmosphere in Alexandria, no-one let their children out to play, and people on their duties walked by in silence.

Meanwhile, Audrey sat on her porch, accompanied by a furry companion.

'Pablo, sit.' A glossy, black German Shepherd sat beside her, waiting for his treat. 'Good boy.' Audrey handed half of her cracker to the dog who crunched it happily.

People tended to walk past and stare at them both, mostly in disgust. Many gossiped between themselves that it was "selfish" to own a dog during these times of need. Audrey tended to just smile right back. Pablo was great protection, and even better company. The last time Alexandria was raided, Pablo had helped out a great deal, but other survivors still saw him as a burden.

Suddenly, one of the watchmen yelled something. All Audrey heard was the word "open". Pablo started to growl and tense up, which he always did when someone, or something approached the compound.

'Easy, boy.' Audrey soothed, and the dog seemed to settle, but he was still on edge.

Olivia came racing out of the house and leaned over the porch railings to get a good look. 'Are they back?'

'I guess so, they've been a while.'

The gates were pulled back and a vehicle came racing into the vicinity. Rick, and what was left of his crew were in a bad state, people helped them out and rushed them towards the infirmary. There was no Glenn...no Maggie...no Abraham...and no Sasha.

'What the hell happened?' Audrey gasped.

Olivia stood there, mouth agape, unable to process what was going on. 'I...I…'

Everyone who was pulled out of that vehicle was in hysterics. Audrey would always remember the fear that was on Rick's face that day. She knew things were about to get fucked up.

'Are you gonna tell me what happened to them?' Audrey was sat at the dining table, and in the process of pulling on her boots. A couple of days had passed since Rick had arrived back at Alexandria and no-one had filled her in with the details. She had heard various different versions of events.

Olivia was busy cooking a large batch of soup, she stirred the pot and lifted the wooden spoon to her lips to taste. Her hand was slightly shaking. 'You know Negan?'

'Not personally, but yeah?'

'You know Glenn and Abraham?'

'Someone said they're dead.'

'Bashed their heads in with a baseball bat. They call themselves...' Olivia took a deep breath, '...the Saviours.'

'Oh…' Audrey stared at the floor. '...I thought they killed Negan?'

'No. He's alive.'

As soon as those words left Olivia, there was a commotion outside. Olivia dropped her spoon and rushed outside, and Audrey followed. There were several black trucks that had just arrived, and they saw Rick speaking with a man in a leather jacket. He was also casually carrying a baseball bat.

'That's him.' Olivia motioned with her head, she adjusted her glasses and she was visibly shaking. 'The hell's he here for so early?'

Audrey frowned at Olivia. Surely there was some vital information which was kept from her. What did this Negan want? And why was he here? His men had invaded the armoury and started to load the van up with all of Alexandria's guns.

'Fuck! Not the guns!" Audrey screeched, she was about to bolt towards the armoury but Olivia held her back.

'Are you crazy? He'll kill you!'

'The guns! They can't take those!' Olivia held onto Audrey with all the strength she had.

Father Gabriel had approached Negan now, they were at the makeshift cemetery. For someone who had come to cleanse the town of their weaponry, any ordinary person would've thought Negan was here for a friendly chat from the way he was smiling and laughing.

Audrey couldn't help but watch Negan. She trembled slightly, just in case he caught her eye; she didn't want to be Lucille's third victim. Audrey watched how he carried himself, the way he motioned himself towards Rick, the way his men followed his every word. Audrey had no idea what he was saying as he was too far away, but her fist clenched with every gun which was taken away.

'No!' Audrey broke free from Olivia and had started running towards the armoury.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from one of the vans. It was Carl and he had a gun pointed at one of Negan's goons.

'Put some back or the next one goes in you.' Carl growled.

Audrey stopped dead in her tracks. Negan and his men had rushed over to the commotion. There was an exchange of words, and Audrey focused on Negan and his booming voice.

'Excuse the shit out of my goddamn French, but did you just threaten me?' Negan yelled at Carl. 'Look, I get threatening Davey here, but I can't have it.'

Olivia appeared behind Audrey and grabbed her arm. 'Get back in the house. Now.'

For the first time in a long time, Audrey obeyed Olivia, and made her way back towards the house. She could hear Pablo barking from inside. As she approached the door, she put her hand on the doorknob, but something stopped her. Her eyes panned away and she noticed Olivia approaching the armoury as Rick had called her over. The armoury was a couple of houses away, and Audrey could faintly hear conversation between Negan and Rick. She decided to lean on the porch rails and peek over.

'So tell me, Rick - where are my guns?' Negan grinned. He turned his head and clocked Audrey watching him, which made her gasp, but he soon turned his attention to Olivia.

'You run the show in here?'

'I just keep track of it all, the rations, the guns.' She replied.

Audrey entered the house, holding back Pablo in the process. Her heart was racing, but there was nothing she could do to intervene with the Saviours. She went into her bedroom with Pablo and hugged him. The dog started to growl every time there was a loud noise outside, each time one of the Saviours shut a truck door or yelled a profanity.

A short while later, Audrey's front door burst open and she could hear someone rummaging around in the drawers and cupboards.

'O-Olivia?' No response. 'Hey?' Still no answer.

The bedroom door swung open, and Rick was stood there breathing heavily. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

'Guns.' He said, gasping for breath.

'Huh?' Audrey got up off the bed.

'They're short. A Glock 9 and .22. They're missing, we're two short.'

'They're not here, you said I'm not allowed a gun.'

'That's exactly why I'm here, you could've-'

'Taken them?' Audrey rolled her eyes and sat back down on the bed. 'Look. I haven't got them. Even if I did, don't you think I would've landed a bullet between Nelson's eyes already?'

'Negan.' Rick corrected.

Audrey sniffed, 'I don't have them.'

'Find. Them.' Rick barked in desperation. He began pulling her drawers out and throwing everything out of her wardrobe.

'Hey, hey, hey, okay I'll look!' Audrey gently pushed him aside and unsuccessfully tried stuffing everything back in the drawers. 'They're not here, but I'll look.'

'Please, hurry.' Rick paused, he was hesitant to say the next part, 'They're gonna kill Olivia if we don't find them.'


	3. Chapter 3 - One, Two, Three

Audrey stormed out of the house, completely clueless as to what she'd do when she reached Negan, she was blinded by fury. Her boots kicked up clouds of dirt and Pablo raced in front. Negan had his back to them both, laughing with one of his goons which held a gun to Olivia's head. Pablo got there before Audrey, and started to growl at him. The Saviours pointed their guns at the dog, unaware of how the animal will react. Some men were shocked, as they hadn't seen a dog in a very long time, other were tickled by it.

Audrey reached Pablo, and at the same time, Negan spun around.

'Well, now.' He grinned, Lucille in hand. 'This one has a fucking dog!' his men began to laugh in unison, 'Are all the fucking women here large and in charge?' Negan mocked, 'I'm very fucking surprised there's even any goddamn food left!'

Audrey saw the gun held to Olivia's head. Her voice had suddenly been reduced to a whisper, nerves had crept up on her.

Negan looked very intimidating, he was a foot taller than her, and his bat was propped up on his shoulder. 'Well?' His voice became louder, 'You gonna call your dog off before I kill the fucking thing?'

Audrey put her hands on her knees and called out to Pablo with a shaky voice, 'P-Pablo, come here.'

The dog continued to growl.

'Pablo!'

'Shit, lady. You have three fucking seconds to call your dog away before I cave its fucking skull in. Shit! This'll be a first for me!' Negan gave a gravelly laugh. 'One!'

'Pablo!'

'Two!'

'Come here, boy!'

'Two-and-a-fucking-half!' Negan's patience was wearing thin, and it was showing in his voice.

Audrey reached forwards and grabbed Pablo's collar, dragging him away. All of a sudden, her fingers had slipped and Pablo surged forwards again. Guns had pointed at the dog again, and she heard the guns cocking, ready to fire. Audrey jumped in front of the dog and put her arms around him. 'NO!' She screamed.

Negan raised an eyebrow and slowly walked around the pair. 'You'd give your life for this thing?' He emphasised "thing" by pointing Lucille at the animal.

Audrey stayed silent, unsure whether responding would provoke Negan more.

'I asked you a fucking question,' Negan bent down close to Audrey.

'Leave her alone!' Olivia cried, the guy holding her looked at Negan with wide eyes.

'Shut up!' Negan bellowed, and pointed the bat at her, 'You're already in deep-ass shit!' Negan placed a hand on top of Audrey's head and grasped a handful of hair. He pulled her head so she was looking directly up at him. He leaned in close and repeated himself, but softer this time. 'I asked you a goddamn question.'

Rick began approaching them, carrying a small bag by his side. Negan let go of Audrey and chuckled.

'What you got for me, Rick?'

Audrey sat on her porch rubbing the top of her head. It was still slightly sore from her encounter with Negan. The Saviours were just about to leave, everything was packed up and Negan was saying his goodbyes to Rick.

'In case you haven't caught on I just slipped my dick down your throat, and you thanked me for it.' Negan gushed, before climbing into his black truck and disappearing from Alexandria.

Olivia was stood behind Audrey with her arms crossed, her eyes red, raw from crying.

'He's a dick.' Audrey muttered, resting her chin in her hands. She was glad that Olivia was safe, but now there were no guns at all in the compound. There was certainly no chance now that Audrey would be allowed to go on supply runs. She was practically useless with a knife, and her running speed was...well, it wasn't great.

'He's satan himself.' Olivia murmured, before turning to head back into the house to prepare a meal.

'Satan.' Audrey repeated to herself, and Pablo's ears pricked up, he started to whine. 'You were almost a goner, Pabs.' Audrey scratched behind his ear and he seemed to smile. Pablo licked Audrey's arm. 'I would die before I let anything like that happen to you.' Pablo barked, almost as if he was replying. 'Good boy.'

Audrey stood up and stretched out her back. 'Come on, Pabs, let's go play.'

Night rolled around pretty quickly that day, as if the darkness had been tailing them all along. Everyone, including Audrey, was asleep in bed. Olivia on the other hand, was still pretty traumatised from today's events and as a result, couldn't sleep. Neither could Rick.

Olivia was sat at the table, a glass of wine in her hand, her head in the other. Her eyes were dewy, and there were also heavy, dark bags to accompany them now.

Rick quietly entered the house, to Olivia's surprise.

'Oh, Rick.' Olivia wiped her eyes, 'I wasn't expecting you.' She glanced at the wine in her hand, then at Rick.

'I don't care about the wine Olivia, don't worry. I'm here to tell you to halve our food portions, excluding Judiths.'

'Halve? They're already as small as-'

'You heard me.' Rick wiped the sweat from his forehead. 'They've won.' He sat on a chair beside Olivia and began to sob into his hands, 'They've won.'

Olivia rubbed his shoulder, and she began to tear up also. 'I'm sure there's something we can do, we can find more guns!'

'No.' Rick shook his head, 'They belong to Negan now.'

'Surely Audrey has one stashed somewhere?'

'She doesn't.'

There was a long silence between the pair before Olivia spoke, 'Y'know, she was adamant to be on those supply runs. Perhaps if she was with you, Negan may ha-'

'It would've changed _nothing_. You know how I feel about her owning a gun. Remember what happened to that poor kid?'

'It wasn't really her fault though…she never misses a shot, he just got in the way.'

'No guns.' Rick got up and wiped his nose. He approached the door and stopped for a second, 'That's all I gotta say. Halve it all.'


	4. Chapter 4 - Lemonade

Audrey loved the feeling of the hot shower against her back. She scrunched up her hair as she washed all of the shampoo from it. Her hair was very long, and it got in her way all the time, but she didn't have the heart to cut it just yet. Besides, she always packs it away into a messy bun everyday.

Blinded by the water, Audrey felt around the soap dish. No soap. She huffed and felt around the bottom of the shower with her foot. 'Olivia! Where's the soap?'

Audrey felt the soap dish again, just in case she missed it the first time. Nothing. 'Fucks sake.'

She hopped out the shower and wrapped a large, pink towel around herself. 'Olivia! Jesus…'

Audrey left the bathroom and walked down the hallway, each step leaving a watery footprint. She was ready to give her sister a piece of her mind.

Halfway down the hallway, Audrey began hearing voices coming from the kitchen. She recognised Olivia's voice.

'We're running really low on everything. We're practically starving here.'

'Starving? You? By "practically," you mean "not really.' Came a man's voice.

The rugged voice sent a chill up Audrey's spine. She peeked round the corner and saw Negan, Carl and Olivia, who had crumpled into a fit of sobs.

Negan continued, stepping closer to Olivia. 'I am sorry for having been so rude to you just now. And it looks like I'm gonna be here for a while, awaiting your fearless leader's return. And if you'd like I think it would be enjoyable to screw your brains out.'

Olivia's hand struck Negan's face hard. The cracking connection made Audrey jump.

Carl spotted Audrey lingering around the corner, and tried to tell her to leave with his eyes, to no avail, Audrey was too focused on whether Negan would turn Olivia's head into mush.

Instead, he leaned into her, 'I am about 50% more into you now. Just sayin.' Negan turned to look at Carl, who was at that point, still looking at Audrey. Negan followed his eyeline to find Audrey whimpering in nothing but a towel. 'What do we have here?' He gave a lopsided grin. 'Come out here, show me what you got.'

Audrey kept her body hidden behind the corner, her knees began to tremble.

'That was a fucking order!' Negan boomed.

Slowly, Audrey shuffled into view, keeping a tight hold of her towel against her. 'I didn't mean to intrude.'

'You didn't, huh? Well, shit!' Negan's eyes narrowed as he scanned her face. He took a few steps towards her. 'You're that girl with the mutt, right?'

Audrey nodded, the cold air against her wet skin was making her shake even more. 'Yes.'

Negan paced around the room, each step with his boots echoed in her ears. Eventually he came up behind her and whispered in her ear, but loud enough for everyone else in the room to hear. 'Olivia's not down for any freaky-deaky. Are you down for that shit?' His hot breath on Audrey's ear gave her goosepimples. She turned her head and looked him straight in the eye, their noses almost touching.

Negan slowly traced a finger from the nape of her neck down her spine, until he reached the edge of the towel. His finger hooked over the towel and gave a gentle pull, as he did this, his mouth extended into a smile. However, Audrey was holding it so tight, it wasn't going anywhere.

Negan removed his hand and strolled away from Audrey, patting Carl on the back.

'All right, well, I'm just gonna put my feet up and wait for my stuff to get here. Olivia would you be a lamb and make us a little lemonade? Now, I know I left you all some of that good powdered stuff.' He then turned his attention back to Audrey and waved her away, 'You, make yourself decent.'

Negan was sat on Olivia's porch in a rocking chair, accompanied by Judith and Carl. Negan looked casual, almost gentle with his leather jacket off. With his white t-shirt and beaming smile, any stranger would've passed him off as Judith's father.

Audrey was wearing her usual baggy t-shirt and jeans, and was making her way onto the porch with a huge jug of lemonade. She had to be careful with every step she climbed onto, as Olivia had filled it _way_ too much; probably her passive-aggressive way of teaching Audrey a lesson.

Audrey set the jug on the small table which sat between Negan and Carl. Judith was bouncing in his lap, and she looked like the only one who was enjoying herself.

Negan sniffed the air, 'Damn, is that you?'

Audrey, who was in the midst of returning to the kitchen stopped and turned her head. 'Me?'

'C'mere.' Negan handed Judith to Carl and motioned Audrey to come towards him. Hesitantly, she approached.

She stood beside him, and Negan waved her to bend down. As she did so, he grabbed a handful of hair and brought it to his nose. 'Vanilla.'

'Huh?' Audrey, at that moment, had wished she had put her hair into a bun rather than a ponytail, but her hair still needed to dry.

'Goddamn vanilla, right?'

'Oh, my hair? Yeah. It's the shampoo.'

'Nice! At least you're not eating it, darlin''.

Audrey pulled her hair away and rolled her eyes. She grabbed a hair tie from her jeans pocket and tucked her locks away in a bun.

'No tears?' Negan smiled as he rose from his chair, 'Damn, you're tougher than your sister.'

'No, I just don't give a shit.' Audrey took a deep breath, ready for whatever bullshit he was about to throw back.

'Huh.' Negan traced his tongue over his teeth and looked down at the floor for a moment. He turned to Carl, 'This motherfucker is going to be a tough one to crack, eh kid?' Negan stared at Audrey, she was trying to avoid his gaze, but once she caught him staring…

'Yeah, I get it. I'm fat. Big fucking joke.' Audrey raised her arms from her sides, 'Bash me in the head, slap me around. Just leave the fat jokes at home.'

'Whoa, baby, don't be dropping the fat bomb. That fucking word is offensive there's goddamn kids about!.'

Audrey raised her eyebrow at Negan, which made him chuckle in return.

'You're nowhere near as…' Negan's hands waved in a circular motion as he tried to think of the word, '...voluptuous as Olivia. I'd say you were more…' Negan made a cupping motion on his chest, '...curvaceous.' Negan started laughing as he nudged Carl with his elbow, 'Get what I mean, kid? How old're you now? You into tits and shit?'

Carl looked perplexed for a second, and just shook his head, unsure how to respond.

Negan grabbed the jug of lemonade and nodded towards Audrey, 'Lemonade?'

Audrey shook her head and stormed into the house, the door slamming behind her.

Negan poured himself a drink and laughed into the glass as he took a sip, 'Fucking women, eh?'


	5. Chapter 5 - No Guts

Audrey had calmed herself down, and thanked herself lucky that Negan hadn't followed her in the house. Instead, he had disappeared off with Carl somewhere.

Olivia stepped inside the house, carrying the empty jug of lemonade. She was still shaky, and strands of hair had come loose from her ponytail. 'You need to be careful how you speak to that man. You're gonna get yourself killed.'

'I alive though, aren't I?'

'For now. I don't want to lose any more family, Audrey.'

Audrey shrugged and turned her head away. She didn't care much for anything anymore, not for a long while. She had her good days, and bad days. Today was a bad day. Today was a fucking stinker of a day. Olivia constantly tells her to snap out of it, but it wasn't as easy as flicking a switch. Things were going pretty shitty for Audrey before the apocalypse, but as soon as it happened? She laughed. She laughed long and hard.

Olivia sighed with a hand on her hip. She blew a strand of hair from her face. 'Come on, Aud. Help me clean the armoury, it's a bit of a mess.'

Audrey slid off the kitchen stool and followed her sister to the armoury. On their way there, Spencer walked past them, dressed to the nines and holding a large bottle of whiskey. Olivia spotted this, which ticked her off. She trundled after him, reaching a hand out.

'Spencer, that should be in storage it's-'

Spencer turned his head, but didn't slow his pace toward Negan. 'I need to do this. Negan needs to know the truth.'

Audrey naturally followed her sister, 'Truth about what?'

'You'll see.' He replied, with a smirk.

'Spencer?' Olivia urged, she tried to grab his arm, but he shrugged her off.

Audrey's heart began to race. Truth about what? What sort of secrets or lies was Spencer about to reveal to their enemy?

The bottle of whiskey was handed over to Negan, and he held it as if it were a newborn baby. Delicately he read the label, and shook his head. 'Shit! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!'

Negan was now cleanly shaved, something which made Audrey narrow her eyes and ponder. She wasn't quite sure whether it suited him or not, but she dare not voice her opinion. He still looked good nonetheless. He was a very handsome man, ignoring the psychopathic personality. Audrey's eyes trailed up his body, noticing his strong tattooed arms and dark, enigmatic eyes. Still, she couldn't lie to herself, she much preferred him with that peppery stubble.

A sharp nudge in her ribs broke her gaze, 'Stop staring!' Olivia spat.

'Ladies!' Negan grinned, slowly making his way down the porch steps, glass of whiskey in his right hand, 'Care to join us for a game of pool?'

'I-I don't play.' Olivia stuttered, quickly dashing behind Audrey and slinking behind the house.

Negan was getting closer, and he didn't have an answer. He took another short sip from his glass and savoured the taste. Every step meant his fuse was getting shorter and shorter.

'Fuck her then, right?' Negan's smile curled onto his face and he gently held the glass up to Audrey. 'Here. Finish this. You look like you fuckin' need it.'

Audrey took hold of the glass, her fingers brushing against Negan's in the process. He noticed this, which caused him to watch her closely as a hint of pink flushed her cheeks. He tilted his head back slightly and put a finger under the glass, pushing it towards her lips.

Audrey lifted the glass and threw the golden liquid towards the back of her throat. It burned slightly, but it tasted great after the sensation went away. Since she hadn't drank in a while, her face puckered up as a reaction to the heavy alcohol content. Audrey gave a slight cough and put a hand on her chest.

Negan leant down and growled into Audrey's ear, 'You fuckin' trooper.' He patted her on the shoulder and spun around to face Spencer. 'Let's get this fuckin' game started!'

Negan struck the cue against the white ball, knocking it towards the triangle of colour, scattering them across the green. 'So, everything was peachy here for - what - years? And then Rick shows up, and suddenly, you're an orphan? That is the saddest story I've ever heard.' Negan threw the cue into Audrey's hands and he muttered, 'Your turn.'

The two men continued to talk between them, and a small crowd was gathering at the pool table. From what Audrey could see, something had happened to Aaron; he was all beat up and bloodied, hanging from Rick's shoulder. Audrey gasped, but Negan quickly clicked his fingers in her face, 'Your go, darlin', hello?'

'He'll find a way to screw things up, to try and do things his way, to take over. That's what he did with my mom. That's what he'll do again.' Spencer said casually, as if betraying his friends came as second nature.

'Fuck you, Spencer!' Audrey snarled, banging her palms against the edge of the pool table.

Negan approached, the calmest she'd ever seen him, and placed a finger delicately on her lips. 'Shh. I'm thinking how Rick threatened to kill me, how he clearly hates my guts.

But he is out there right now, gathering shit for me to make sure I don't hurt any of the fine people that live here. He is swallowing his hate and getting shit done. That takes guts.'

Negan approached Spencer. 'And then there's you The guy who waited for Rick to be gone so he could sneak over and talk to me to get me to do his dirty work, so he could take Rick's place.

So I got to ask - if you wanna take over, why not just kill Rick yourself and just take over?'

Audrey hung her head and pinched the skin between her eyes. Her head began to throb, perhaps from downing almost a full glass of whiskey.

Suddenly, shrieks and cries came from the crowd of people. Audrey whipped her head up and saw Spencer cradling his guts which were spilling all over the floor. Her eyes widened, and she ducked behind the pool table.

Negan was carrying a gigantic knife, and he was chuckling into Spencer's drink which he had taken from the table. Blood spattered across his face, and his face was almost manic.

'Anyone want to finish the game? C'mon.' He turned to Audrey and walked to her. He raised an eyebrow and playfully swung Lucille beside him. Survivors continued to cry and they only got louder as Negan approached the young woman. Negan held a hand out which he put behind Audrey's head. He clasped a handful of hair and pulled her head back so she was looking straight at him. 'Fuck, you have one _hell_ of a pretty face, Audrey.' he spoke, only loud enough so she could hear. His voice rumbled through her body. She'd never heard him say her name before, and it made her heart skip a beat. Negan lowered his face, their noses brushing past each other, she could feel his warm, alcohol infused breath against her quivering lips...

BANG. A bullet rang out from the crowd, striking Lucille which Negan had held in between them both. He let go of Audrey's hair and went apeshit.

'Shit! What the shit?! Shit! You just - You tried to kill me?! You shot Lucille!' He yelled at Rosita, the petite brunette who held the smoking gun.

'She got in the way.'

Rosita was swiftly knocked to the floor by one of Negan's goons, a knife was held against her cheek. Furious words were exchanged between Negan and the group, he found the empty bullet casing and demanded someone own up to who made it. Rosita claimed it was her, but Negan didn't believe her, however she continued to say it was her who made the bullet.

'Have it your way. Arat, kill somebody.'

The goon raised her gun. Audrey was ducked behind the pool table again. It took less than a second between the gun being taken and shooting Olivia square between the eyes.

Audrey felt like a sledgehammer hit her in the chest, all her breath escaped her. She watched as her sister fell back, hitting the patio with a frightening force.

Vomit rose in Audrey's throat, her head was spinning and she couldn't find her footing. She kept tripping over her feet, so she gave up and began crawling toward the house. All she could focus on was the lifeless body of Olivia. People rushed to check on her sister, but they were all blurs of colour, everything was going in slow-motion.

' _Olivia_!' Audrey screamed, before passing out in a pool of Spencer's blood.


	6. Chapter 6 - Awakening

Audrey neatened up the christmas cards on the mantelpiece, and sighed as her favourite christmas film blared from the TV. There was a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg in the room as cookies slowly baked in the kitchen, and Audrey curled up on the sofa with a large mug of cocoa. She checked her watch briefly and took a sip of the warm hug-in-a-mug.

Suddenly, a jangle of keys was heard at the front door, and a man staggered into the room looking a little dishevelled. His sandy hair was ruffled, and his jacket was slung over his shoulder.

'Looking good.' He laughed, focusing on Audrey's garish christmas jumper.

Audrey cracked a tiny smile, but her brow furrowed in concern, 'I was worried, you've been gone all night. You finished work at 5, Kyle.'

Kyle craned his neck to look at the clock in the kitchen, it read 11:05PM. He shrugged his shoulders and threw his jacket on a nearby armchair, 'Just had a few drinks with the guys.'

'You didn't tell me. It's christmas eve, Kyle, and-'

'Leave it, just...leave it.' He snapped, his words slurred.

'But don't your friends have families? Surely they wouldn't have-'

'What did I just say?' His voice grew louder.

Audrey rose from her relaxed position, 'Don't you _dare_ speak to me like that.'

Kyle shrugged again and shuffled into the kitchen, clanging pots and scraping dishes. He was heard opening the oven and squealing in joy.

The shower clicked off and Audrey grabbed a towel from the heated rack. Wrapping it around herself, she entered her bedroom where Kyle was already reclined in bed, watching sports. Their dog, Pablo, was already dozing off in his bed in the corner. He was woken occasionally whenever Kyle cheered at the TV, so he resorted to hiding his head under the blanket.

Audrey perched herself at the edge of the bed, and released her hair from its clip, allowing it to cascade down her back. She removed her towel and slipped into bed, shuffling towards Kyle. Audrey ran hand down his chest, and it took him a few seconds before realising.

'What're you doing?'

'C'mon, it's christmas eve.'

'And?'

'You know…' Audrey's hand wandered under the sheets, following the contours of his body until she reached his pants. Her fingers gripped the waistband of his pants, and began pulling them down. She pulled her naked self forwards, her chest resting on his. Her hand crept lower and a small moan fell from her lips as she found what she was looking for.

'No.' Kyle interrupted, bringing himself into a sitting position and running a hand through his hair. 'I'm not feeling it tonight.'

Audrey retreated to her side of the bed and covered her modesty with the sheet. A pained look of defeat spread across her face, 'Is there something wrong? Have I done something wrong?'

'No, you've done nothing.'

'I've tried…' Audrey tried her very best to hold back tears, and her throat started closing up, '...we haven't had sex since…' She fell silent as her brain worked overtime. She blinked quickly as the tears started to form. 'I can't remember.'

Kyle sighed, and couldn't bring himself to look at his girlfriend crying. Pablo whined in the corner, knowing that Audrey was crying. He hopped out of his bed and came to her side, licking her arm.

'Pabs...' Audrey smiled through the tears and rubbed his head.

'I'm just tired.' Kyle spoke, before lying on his side and throwing the bed covers over him.

Pablo climbed onto the bed and lay in between his owners. He rested his head on Audrey's pillow and she lay next to him, her wet face buried in his black fur.

Audrey's eyes flickered open, but she couldn't see. Everything was pitch black. She began to feel queasy as she pulled herself up, and her back started to ache. She patted what she was lying on, it was hard, solid. It didn't take long for Audrey to realise she was on the floor, covered in a thin blanket.

Rustling was heard to her side, before a clicking noise and bright, white light filled the room. Audrey squeezed her eyes closed and covered her face. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw Michonne stood in the doorway, a sullen expression on her face.

'You're awake.' Michonne whispered, kneeling next to Audrey.

'Why am I on the floor?' Audrey scanned the room, there was little to no furniture.

'They took everything. All our beds, our guns, our-' Michonne stopped herself and lifted up Audrey's face. 'Did he hurt you?'

'No, no he didn't.'

A flash of memory appeared in Audrey's head, a loud noise, a scream. She replayed an event which turned her stomach. She watched again as Olivia fell to the floor. She watched as people carried her sister away. 'Olivia.' Audrey whimpered, as tears fell down her cheeks.

Michonne rubbed Audrey's shoulder, 'She was a good woman. She's...already been buried. We gave her a nice place to rest. She's safe now.' Michonne took a deep breath, 'You can come see her if you feel up to it.'

The grave was very simple. A makeshift wooden cross marked the plot, and a sprig of wildflowers decorated the fresh mound of dirt. There was no name on the cross, no reminder of who lay in the ground. Audrey had then realised she had no pictures of her sister. The last image of her sister was playing on repeat in her mind, Olivia with a bullet hole straight through her forehead, the blood running down her face before falling to the floor.

Pablo was stood beside her, his ears were flat against his head, he knew who was under the ground. He gave a short whine, and Audrey put her hand on the top of his head before kneeling down and hugging him around the neck. There were no tears, Audrey didn't have the strength to cry. Her mind was clouded, and her emotions numbed.


	7. Chapter 7 - Oh! You Pretty Things

Audrey was sat on her porch steps, one hand supporting her chin, the other holding a clipboard. A week had passed by in a blur, and she glanced at the survivors walking by, talking to each other as if the world wasn't a fucked up place anymore. Everyone was heading in the same general direction and a faint sound of music was coming from one of the larger houses. Eugene had fixed up a vinyl player, and David Bowie's "Heroes" was playing. Audrey gave a deep sigh, she really didn't want to speak to anyone, and hated parties, but David Bowie was a secret favourite of hers.

She stood up and stretched out her back, before placing the inventory clipboard on the steps. _It can wait another time_ , she thought.

The sun was just setting, and Audrey followed the music until she reached a house at the end of the street. People were stood outside smoking, others were drinking bottles of beer and laughing with each other. Audrey didn't need to knock, the door was already ajar and she could see familiar faces: Rick, Eugene, Michonne, Tara amongst others. She entered, not knowing where to place herself. A random survivor approached her, shoved a bottle of beer in her hands and stumbled off.

Audrey placed the beer down on the floor and approached Rick, tapping him on the shoulder so he turned around.

'Rick, what's going on?'

Rick, very clearly sober, gave a small grin, something which was rare to see on him nowadays. 'It's just a bit of music. Everything's gone to shit, doesn't mean we can't have some sort of joy.'

'Why didn't he take that too?' Audrey pointed at the vinyl player, and looked around the bare room. There were very few wooden chairs, and the music player was resting on the floor.

'It used to be a piece of junk, but Eugene fixed it up during the week. He's got a collection of vinyls floating around the place too. Stop worrying, we have men at the gates keeping watch.'

'Aha.' Audrey nodded, a Rick turned back to join the group conversation again.

The room, full of people, started to get too warm and stuffy for Audrey so she stepped out. The sun had completely set now, and the dim lights from houses lit up the main street. She walked towards the main gates, and as she got closer, she noticed a couple of familiar looking black trucks, but there was no-one around. Puzzled, she got closer, squinting so she could see a little better in the dark. Just then, someone gave a short whistle. Audrey spun around, until she saw the outline of someone sat on her porch steps flicking through her inventory clipboard. She froze when her eyes finally registered who it was, 'Negan?'

He was sat in his usual black leather jacket, with a couple of goons stood behind him under the shadow of the porch, fully armed.

'Evening.' His eyes peered over the top of the clipboard. 'Good shit right here.' Negan threw the clipboard so it landed at his feet. He nodded his head to the side to signal Audrey to sit next to him. After she didn't move, he sighed, 'Sit the fuck down.'

Audrey quickly parked herself next to him and nervously picked at the jean fabric near her knees. She kept her focus on her fiddling hands, not wanting to look at him in case he was looking straight back.

'It's fucking party time over there, huh?' Negan grinned, shaking his head at the sheer idea of Rick dancing and having a good time, 'You motherfuckers should be scavenging for me, you hear?' Negan's voice was harsh, which rang in Audrey's ear since he was so close to her.

A few moments of silence passed and he rubbed the space between his eyes, 'Audrey, right?'

'Right.' She replied, finally looking at him, but he was focused on the bright house with the blaring music.

'Why aren't you over there?' His voice had become softer, almost sympathetic.

'I don't like parties.'

Negan looked at Audrey, her hair was tied up again, and her clothes were her usual, casual attire. He didn't focus on that, however, he noticed she had dimples in her cheeks whenever the corners of her mouth turned up, whether it was during a smile or grimace.

Audrey noticed this sudden, softer change in his demeanor, and she felt confident enough to question him, 'Why are you here?'

Negan gave his signature deep chuckle and shook his head, 'I own this fucking town, I can come here whenever I goddamn want.' He smiled at Audrey, 'A little fucking birdy told me Rick was having a shindig. I wanted in on that shit.'

Negan turned to his men behind him and raised a hand, 'Go back to the truck, I'll take it from here.'

'But Negan we-'

'Do as I fucking told you, or I'll cut your tongue clean out, you hear?'

The men scrambled off the porch and headed back towards the gates. Negan and Audrey were left alone. That silence had crept back, but Negan soon broke it.

'I just-' It seemed very difficult for Negan to say what came next, '-just wanna fucking apologise.'

'To Rick?'

'Shit! No! To you, goddamn it.' Negan sighed and slapped his hands on his knees, 'Why the fuck do you think I'm sat here in the dark like fucking Batman?' A laugh escaped his lips, he found himself humorous.

Audrey found herself giggling also, which she promptly disguised with a cough.

'With...whatsername…' Negan pressed his lips together as he tried to remember her sister's name, '...Olivia! I'm really fucking sorry. I personally wouldn't have chosen to shoot her, one of the other fuckers maybe but…' He noticed Audrey's eyes began to well up. 'Well, shit.'

Audrey wiped her eyes dry and sniffed, 'I'm fine.' She squeaked, taking a few deep breaths.

'Listen, if someone steps outta line, or tries to fuckin' kill me, I gotta shut that shit down. It's what I do.'

'I know, I understand.'

Negan wasn't expecting that sort of response, and he made him lose his words for a moment. He furrowed his brow and gazed at her again. Her eyes were dewy, and her nose and cheeks were flushed pink from it being so cold outside. Suddenly, David Bowie's "Oh! You Pretty Things" began playing from the festive house.

Audrey caught him looking at her, and his dashing smile made her heart race, to reasons unknown to her. _Why am I getting all flustered?_ She thought. This guy was the reason her sister was killed, the reason why she can no longer sleep in a bed at night.

Negan started to quietly hum the song and he started to tap his foot at the beat. 'Good fuckin' song. At least Rick has taste.'

'They're Eugene's vinyls.'

'Well, fuck me!' Negan stood up and kicked the clipboard out the way. He held his hand out to Audrey. 'Dance?'

'Fuck, no.' Audrey choked, looking down when she realised she'd sworn at him. 'I-I really don't dance, trust me.' Audrey waved her hands at her body, to show him the reason why. Why the fuck would she dance after what's happened to the world? The dead roam the streets and paths are stained with blood, what's the reason to dance? _What is the fucking point?_

'Get here.' Negan grabbed her wrist and pulled her up, he placed a hand on her lower back and brought her closer to him. With his other hand he lifted her chin so she could see him grinning like a cheshire cat. 'Don't be fucking stupid.'

From this distance, Audrey could see his stubble growing back nicely. She almost wanted to run her hands across his jaw, but kept her hands by her sides. Audrey watched as his dark eyes traced every corner of her face.

'Y'know.' He began, 'I'm sorry for calling you-' He paused again.

'Curvaceous.'

'That's the fucking word.' The hand which was holding her chin searched for her hand, and he brought it up, so they were almost in a waltz pose.

'I'm used to it.' Audrey's right hand was still by her side, but Negan picked it up and placed it against his chest.

'You're a little fucking bigger than the other darlin's in this town, heck, even all my wives.' Negan bent down so he could speak into her ear, 'But goddamn it, you're fucking beautiful.'

The absurdity of hearing this from a murderous tyrant made Audrey burst out laughing. She couldn't control the fits of giggles which ensued.

'Made you fuckin' smile though, didn't I?' Negan swayed them both side to side, dancing lazily to the music. 'Shit, you're a lot fuckin' easier to talk to than the rest of 'em.'

'Fuck 'em.' Audrey smiled, her stomach hurting from all the laughing.

'You mean that literally?'

'I've seen Eugene give you a glance or two.' Audrey sniggred, allowing her head to fall on Negan's chest as her shoulders bounced in hysteria. _Why am I laughing with him?_ She pondered to herself. Considering all of the recent events, Negan shouldn't be the person she's waltzing with. If Rick or another member of the group saw them right now, there'd be so many questions.

Negan was laughing along with her, shaking his head at how terrible her joke was. Perhaps it was the pull of the music, the feel of the night, or even the small glass of whiskey he drank before he arrived, but he fell silent looking down at Audrey. She stopped and met his gaze. With no time for error, Negan slid a hand to the back of her head and pulled her face towards his. Their lips met, and Audrey was surprised at how delicate he was. She could feel the short stubble scratching across her cheeks, but she liked it. As she moved her hand to the back of his neck in order to deepen the kiss, Negan's hand slowly started to move south from her lower back. Audrey pulled away and removed his hand.

'I'm sorry.'

Negan looked as perplexed as Audrey as to why the kiss occurred, but he wiped his face and gave a little cough. He soon regained his tough exterior and cracked his neck. Negan whistled to his goons, one of them handed him Lucille. 'Time to crash this motherfuckin' party, boys.'

The three men marched towards the house, and Negan looked back over his shoulder at Audrey who was still stood there, still grasping what had happened. He gave a wink and started whistling along to the music, Lucille swinging by his side.


	8. Chapter 8 - Hired

The party was at full swing, laughs could be heard from down the street, the music was turned up to the highest it could go, and beer bottles littered the front porch. As Negan approached, some intoxicated survivors rubbed their eyes in disbelief, others ran away towards their own houses. One individual dived inside and slammed the door. Frantic, drunken yells could be heard inside. Negan's sturdy black boots climbed the porch steps and kicked some beer bottles aside. Using Lucille, he delivered three loud knocks on the front door. The music immediately stopped, and silence gripped Alexandria again. A few seconds passed, and Rick opened the door. His face clouded with a clashing mixture of anger, and fear. Negan grinned.

'Can I come in and play?' Negan pushed the door open and let himself in. He paced around the room, taking in the faces of everyone around him. 'Oh, please, don't let me interrupt your fuckin' merriments.'

Rick stepped forward, 'Negan, we're-'

'Mind telling me what the _fuck_ this is?' Negan brushed his tongue over his teeth, 'Havin' fuckin' parties, and shit when you're supposed to be providing for _me_!'

Audrey heard Negan shouting from where she was stood. Fear bubbled up in her chest again, but she'd seen a softer side of Negan, perhaps she could prevent anyone else getting hurt. _I have to at least try_ , she thought. Clenching her fists, she walked over.

'Listen, we can explain-' Rick raised his hands.

'Explain, shit!'

'No-one has to get hurt tonight.' He pleaded, looking back at Michonne and Carl.

Negan came closer to Rick and tapped him on the shoulder with Lucille. 'See that? Lucille's jealous of you pricks, she wants a drink too.'

A drunken survivor shakily tries to hand Negan a bottle of beer. Negan gives a humoured grunt, then swings Lucille at the survivor's hand, smashing the bottle into pieces and cutting his hand to ribbons. Blood sprayed from his hand and the pain didn't register immediately, but the shock of seeing the blood made him scream. Michonne came rushing to his aid. Quickly, Negan held Lucille in between them.

'Touch his fucking hand and I'll cut both yours the fuck off, understood? And I'll use your fucking scary-ass swords to do it.'

At this moment, Audrey entered the room. Negan saw her from the corner of his eye, but didn't acknowledge her.

'Rick!' Negan pointed Lucille at him. 'How shall we settle this shit?'

Rick was silent, he just glared at Negan.

'How about we quench Lucille's fucking thirst, hm?' Negan turned to his goons, 'Aim at Rick. He moves, fill his chest with lead.' Negan stepped forwards and looked down at Michonne who was still crouching near the bloody, screaming survivor. 'I suggest you fucking move, I don't kill women, and I don't want to have to make any fucking exceptions!'

Michonne crawled away, scowling at Negan as she went.

'You!' Negan barked.

'Who? Me?' Eugene quivered.

'Yes, you! The life of the fucking party, get on your knees.'

'P-please, I beg you.'

' _Knees_!'

Eugene began to cry, but he did as he was told. Negan came and stepped behind him, waving Lucille nonchalantly. 'Now, Rick. We settle this, or you're gonna have a fun fuckin' time trying to get brains outta this here carpet!'

'I don't know what you want me to say. Please don't do this.' Rick pleaded.

'Don't make me ask again!' Negan lifted Lucille high above his head.

' _Stop_!' Audrey screamed, stepping over blood and glass to face Negan. Eugene was hugging the floor at this point. 'Hit me instead.' She repeated, looking Negan straight in the eye. She had her arms out wide and her chest was shaking from taking nervous breaths.

'I don't hit women.' Negan chuckled, 'Get out the way.'

'Fucking, make me.'

Negan's eyes grew wide, he didn't know whether to laugh or kill Eugene there and then. He wondered where her balls came from to stand up to him. Negan lowered Lucille, and Audrey suddenly tried to grab her. She gripped the end of the bat.

'Shit!' Negan pulled Lucille away and the barbed wire cut into Audrey's palm, causing her to fall onto the floor littered with shards of broken glass.

'No-one touches Lucille!' Negan barked, but as he saw blood gushing from Audrey's hands, and knees, the rage drained from his face. 'Where's your fucking infirmary?'

'The infirmary?' Rick asked.

'The place you keep your fucking bandages and shit?'

'All our first aid is in the house across the way.'

Negan turned to his goons. 'Take her there, get her cleaned up.'

'What about the other guy?' The goon pointed his thumb at the guy with the mangled hand.

Negan shot his goon a dark look, which made him ask no more questions and lift Audrey up from the floor.

'Clean this shit up.' Negan demanded, as he followed his goons out the house.

Audrey hadn't needed to visit the hospital in years, so sitting on a wooden chair having a bandage applied to her hand by one of Negan's men, was very disconcerting. The man was fumbling with the bandage, he didn't have a very steady hand. The glass had already been picked clean from the wound, and washed under a tap, the best they could do.

Negan entered the room and lay Lucille against the wall. Impatient, he pushed his goon out of the way, 'Let me fuckin' do it.' Negan grabbed a chair and sat opposite Audrey.

She was perched in her seat, her hands up, palms facing outwards. As Negan shuffled closer, her hands began to shake.

'Stay still.' He mumbled, holding the roll of bandage between his teeth as he inspected her hands and knees. 'At least ripped jeans are trendy.'

Audrey didn't know where to put her eyes, so she decided to look up at the ceiling. Negan was seriously concentrating on wrapping the bandage around her palms. His tongue was slightly sticking out his mouth as he tried to focus.

'There.' He grinned, admiring his amateur medical work. 'Fuckin' perfect.'

Audrey didn't say anything, she just looked at her wrapped hands, unable to clench them into a fist due to the pain. There was a sadness in her eyes.

'I'm sorry...about the whole fuckin' Lucille thing. She normally doesn't bite.'

The dark humour made the side of Audrey's lip curl up, she dropped her head so he couldn't see. Negan picked up a couple of square gauzes and placed them in his lap. He carefully adjusted Audrey's leg, then applied the gauze, sticking the edges down firmly, then wrapping bandage around her knee. He did the same for the second leg.

'See, I coulda' been a goddamn doctor!'

'Thanks.' Audrey couldn't help smiling when she saw Negan beaming at her.

With a wave of his hand, his goons left the room. Negan sighed and scratched his head.

'See...that thing between us before, I just wanna clear the air.'

A lump appeared in Audrey's throat as she nodded.

'I think you're great, but…' Negan shifted in his seat, '...it doesn't change anything, you're still one of Rick's.'

Audrey set her sore hands down in her lap, her eyes were looking at the floor. She extended a hand and placed her fingers on Negan's knee.

'Then take me with you.'

Negan gave a nervous chuckle, 'I can't do that, Audrey. You fuckin' know that.' Negan looked through the window towards the house which was full of life 30 minutes ago, 'The fuckers over there will think I've taken you hostage or some shit. They'll be bugging me at the Sanctuary every five fucking minutes.'

'I'll deal with them when they come, I'll tell them I came on my own free will.'

'Like they'll believe that shit.'

'I'll handle it.'

Negan grinned and shook his head, 'You're one stubborn motherfucker, aren't you? You wanna join the Saviours or something?'

'If I have to. There's nothing here for me anymore.'

Negan slapped his thighs and rose out of his chair, 'Well, you got more fuckin' balls than Rick, I'll give you that.' He fell silent as he thought about her decision. 'What are you gonna contribute? Can't just do fucking nothing.'

'I'm good with a gun.'

'Darlin' my mother's good with a gun'

'I never miss a goddamn shot. Trust me. I can be in your watchtowers, or something. Get me your best marksman, I'll put him to shame.'

'So…' Negan pulled out a handgun from his waistband and placed it in Audrey's hands, '...shoot that light over there.' Negan pointed to a lantern hanging from a porch, it was quite a distance away. He lifted up the window, and motioned for her to approach the window. 'I know your hands are injured, and I won't expect you to get it first time, but show me what shit you got.'

Audrey got up and rested her elbows on the window ledge, holding the gun in both hands. Negan stood beside her, watching intently.

With one smooth movement, Audrey lowered the gun, fired and the light shattered in the distance.

Negan couldn't help smirking, 'That is some sexy shit right there!' He carefully took the gun from her bandaged hands and stuffed it back into his waistband. He leant in close to Audrey and smiled, 'You're fucking hired.' his voice was gravelly and sent a pleasant chill down her spine.

Audrey felt a little bad wanting to leave Alexandria, but she meant every word when she said there was nothing here for her anymore. All of her family were dead, Alexandria was on its knees, and Negan could provide so much more for her, so much more. He actually was interested in her using her shooting skills, whereas Rick never let her.

Audrey climbed into the back of Negan's black truck, taking one last look at Alexandria before closing the doors.


	9. Chapter 9 - Crystal Clear

Audrey wobbled into her kitchen, trying not to slip on her wooden floors. There were crates of beer stacked on the kitchen counters and music was playing from a portable music player outside. She poured herself a glass of wine and hobbled back into the living room and in front of a full length mirror. She was wearing a lacy, black dress and heels. Turning from one side to the other, she analysed herself, wondering whether her legs were too chubby for the dress, and if her other lumps and bumps were noticeable.

Kyle wandered into the living room and started digging in between the cushions of the sofa. 'You seen my lighter? Sure I had it before when I sat here.'

Audrey spotted it on the mantelpiece next to a picture of herself and her father. Her dad was wearing a military uniform, carrying a large gun and a young Audrey was saluting next to him. She grabbed the lighter and tossed it to Kyle.

'Here.'

'Thanks.' Kyle nodded, and jogged out the room to join his friends outside.

Audrey looked through the window and saw a large group of men stood outside, all with cans in their hands, laughing about nonsense. It was Kyle's birthday, and Audrey felt obliged to join them.

Walking outside, she sat on a bench and sipped her wine. Although she was in her own home, she felt like a stranger. She didn't know anyone's name, and Kyle wasn't introducing her to anybody. To say she was uncomfortable was an understatement.

More people started to arrive throughout the night, men, women, people she'd never seen in her life, and she was starting to question whether Kyle really knew them too.

Audrey's garden was quite large, but it started to get crowded. She was relieved that Pablo was locked in the bedroom upstairs, quite unfair, but she wanted him safe. She looked around the garden and marvelled at her handywork. She had strung fairy lights across the fences, and on the porch. It looked magical, but she wasn't feeling the magic.

Audrey stood up, and squeezed past strangers to get some more wine from the kitchen. When she arrived and opened the fridge, her wine was gone. All that was left in the fridge was a crushed can, and couple of dirty shot glasses. There _was_ an unmarked bottle with some questionable liquid inside, but she daren't open it. Audrey sighed and kicked the fridge door shut, causing her to almost topple over.

She went back outside and grabbed Kyle, his eyes were glazed and she knew that it wasn't just alcohol he'd been taking. 'Someone's taken my wine, Kyle.'

'Go get 'em then.' He laughed.

'I don't know who took it, I don't know anyone here!'

'Yeah you do, you know Dave.'

'Who's Dave?'

'That guy.' Kyle pointed at a random guy, and he waved back.

'Do you even know who you're letting into our house?'

'Of course I do!'

Audrey spun around, 'So you know _all_ these people? There's at least 60 here!'

'Yep.' A guy walked past Kyle and high-fived him.

'Kyle, I'm going to bed.' Audrey turned to walk away, but Kyle grabbed her arm.

'No, don't go, stay, have fun!'

'I'm not having fun! First of all I'm in a fucking dress and heels for the first time since forever- which you haven't fucking noticed by the way - and secondly, you're not introducing me to anyone! I've been sat over there for hours by my fucking self!'

Kyle grimaced and swallowed the rest of his beer. 'Whoa, babe, I'm sorry, okay?' He rubbed her arm and pulled her in for an awkward hug. 'Listen, I'll get rid of some of these people, and I'll introduce you to my closest friends, okay?'

Audrey sighed, knowing this is the only compromise they're going to agree on, 'Okay.'

'Oh, could you be a babe and fetch my phone from the living room?'

Audrey wandered inside and saw his phone on the coffee table. It kept lighting up and vibrating. She went to grab it, but something caught her eye. There were various messages from "Hannah" filling the screen. The phone was going crazy, from what Audrey could make out, the messages were of a lewd, flirty nature, and heart emoticons lit up the screen.

Suddenly, it rang. Hesitant, and terrified, Audrey answered. She stayed silent.

'Kyle? Baby? I'm outside! I know you told me not to come, but I just wanted to surprise you on your birthday! You'll never guess what I'm wearing under my coat! Kyle? Kyle are you there? I can hear music, can you hear me?' Audrey froze, her blood ran cold, and her heart sank down to her feet. She had to sit on the sofa and calm her breathing. The girl on the other end dropped the line and there was a knocking on the front door, but the music almost drowned it out.

Audrey felt lightheaded as her whole world came crashing down around her, so many questions circled in her head, on the other hand, she'd also received many answer. She now knew why he was always staying at work so late, why he'd never so much as hugged her in six months, and why they'd been living practically like roommates instead of partners no matter how much effort she put into their relationship. Audrey had been blind to it, she'd made him think that she was the problem, that she'd been so repulsive and needed to change herself in order to get him to notice. She'd never realised how broken the relationship was until she received that phone call, she had been holding onto nothing for so long.

The pain and disbelief soon turned to rage, which fizzed inside her. Audrey threw off her heels, one was thrown at the mirror which shattered it all over the floor. Storming outside barefoot, she quickly found Kyle.

'Kyle!' She yelled.

'Yeah? D'ya get my phone?'

Audrey slapped him across the face, making him stumble backwards a few steps.

'The fuck was that for?'

'Hannah's at the door.' Audrey walked away.

'Hannah? Oh, Hannah. Shit. Audrey!' Kyle grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her back around. 'I can explain!'

'Fuck you. We're finished.' Audrey turned her back, and Kyle shouted after her.

'You're not finished with me!'

She stopped in her tracks again, 'Yes I am, we're done.'

'Oh, you're calling the shots now?' Kyle spread his arms wide, 'Not now, not today, not ever you fat bitch! We're not fucking finished. Where you gonna go? Who's gonna want you?'

Audrey took a deep breath. She clenched her fist and punched Kyle in the mouth, knocking several of his teeth clean out. He fell to the floor, his mouth covered in blood. Several people at the party ran to his aid, others looked on, mouths agape.

Audrey leaned over him, smiling. 'Who's gonna want you _now_ , looking like that, sweetie? Happy fucking birthday.'

The Sanctuary was a large factory building, surrounded by high fences and restrained walkers dotted around the outside. Audrey followed Negan and his men into the huge entrance, and she noticed almost everyone was carrying some sort of firearm, whether it was a small handgun, or an assault rifle. They walked along various corridors and up several flights of stairs. It was like a maze, Audrey definitely wouldn't have been able to find her way out again.

They approached a door with two men guarding it. There was a thick glass panel on the door, which had a large bullet holes in it. It had been patched up with duct tape. Negan pointed at the door.

'This is the armoury. Do not go in there without me. These fucking guys shoot first, speak second, you get me?'

Audrey nodded like a bobble-head and tried to see something through the glass, with no luck. It was misted glass.

The small group continued, Negan was whistling a merry tune as he walked. 'So, how many beds are left in the women's quarters?' Negan turned his head to Audrey quietly, 'We like to keep the women separate from the men. Guys here can get…' Negan made a squeezing motion with his hands, '...grabby.'

'There's none.' A goon spoke.

Negan stopped, 'What do you fucking mean, there's none?'

'It's full.'

'We just fucking took loads of beds from Alexandria, what fucking happened to them?' Negan was hovering over his goon, he was much taller. The goon started to get nervous.

'W-we put them in with the men. There wasn't enough beds, some had been sleeping on the floor.'

'I don't give a shit! Where the fuck am I supposed to put her?'

Audrey stood meekly in between the men. 'I'll go on the floor.' She squeaked.

'Like fuck you are!' Negan bellowed, focusing back on his goon. 'All you fucks go find me a bed. Now!'

His men scattered down the various corridors, leaving Negan and Audrey alone. Negan pinched the space between his eyes. 'Lucille, give me strength.' He murmured.

Audrey coughed and held her hands behind her back, 'I really don't mind-'

'You're not sleeping on the fucking floor.' Negan said sternly, 'If you're gonna be in my watchtowers, you can't have a bad back.' A silence suddenly crept up between them, 'I'm gonna see where these fucks have gone to. Stay in here, get comfortable and shit.' He opened a door behind Audrey, placed her inside and closed the door, locking it afterwards.

When Audrey turned around she saw a room full of beautiful women in lush surroundings. The women all had luxurious skin, all in different shades and tones, silky hair and slim, taut bodies. The women wore little, to no clothing and their makeup and nails were done to perfection. They were sprawled across chaise longues draped in velvety fabrics, and sparkling candelabra dimly lit up the room, giving it a sexy atmosphere.

One woman in particular was drinking from crystalware, possibly whiskey, possibly rum. Whatever it was, she had consumed it in one and approached Audrey.

'Who're you?' She said, eyeing Audrey up and down. The woman had long, blonde hair and was a natural beauty.

'I'm Audrey.'

'I've not seen you around.'

'I'm...new.' Audrey said, her back pressed against the wall as the woman came closer.

'I'm Carmel. I run this place.'

'The Sanctuary? I thought Negan was-'

'He's our leader, but every leader has a vice; his happens to be my pussy.' Carmel walked back to the opposite side of the room. All the women had their eyes on Audrey, she felt very uncomfortable.

'I'm not here to-' Audrey raised her hands.

'You're right, you don't belong here.' Carmel poured another drink and downed it in one. 'Negan has enough wives. He's got enough on his plate, kinda like you.' She smirked.

Audrey sighed and rolled her eyes, 'I'm not here to have sex with him.'

'Then what the fuck you here for?'

'I left Alexandria to come here. I'm going to be in the watchtowers, as a sniper.'

Carmel gave a short laugh, 'Why the fuck would you come here?'

'There's nothing left for me there.'

'There's nothing for you here, either.'

The door suddenly clicked and opened.

'Knock, knock girls.' It was Negan, he entered the room and surveyed the situation. 'Good news, girls.' He walked over to a small table which held the decanters of whiskey, and poured himself a drink, 'Audrey's gonna be staying in your dorm for a while.'

Some of the women murmured amongst themselves and Carmel frowned.

'How long for?'

'Does it fucking matter?' Negan chuckled, sipping his drink. 'A goddamn bed is a goddamn bed, is there a fucking problem.'

Audrey stepped in front of Negan, 'No problem, just a slight confusion. They thought I was a wife or something like that.' She gave a nervous laugh.

Negan turned to Carmel and raised his eyebrow. 'Really, now?' He finished his drink and slowly walked across the room until he was a foot away from the blonde woman. He crossed his arms.

'And what would be so wrong if she was?' Negan gave a large grin, Carmel was having trouble finding her words, 'Because the last time I fucking checked, your name wasn't fucking Negan.'

He chuckled and shook his head, 'She's gonna be defending this fucking place, so if you don't want any walkers chewing on your tight asses, I would show a little fucking appreciation.'

Negan offered to show Audrey where she'd be sleeping. It was a secluded part of the factory, far away from where the working men slept. There was a long, narrow corridor with many doors, and Negan stopped in front of one of them. He opened the door and ushered Audrey inside. It was a tiny room which only just managed to fit a single bed, and a small table.

Negan ran his fingers through his hair and smirked, 'Sorry, this is all we got. Used to be a utility closet or some shit.'

Audrey looked up at Negan, they were stood pretty close together since there wasn't much room to move about. She looked into his face, which seemed to soften again. His dark eyes melted into her own. The corner of his lip curled and he put a hand on her shoulder. Audrey's heart began to pound again, she was thinking about the kiss earlier that night. Why had he kissed her? Was he drunk? He didn't seem drunk, his eyes were clear and gazing into her own.

'I don't mind.' Audrey's voice had been reduced to a whisper. 'Thank you.'

Negan tenderly traced the contour of Audrey's neck with his fingers, until he met her jawline. 'May I?' He reached around the back of her head and released Audrey's hair from it's tie. Her auburn hair unravelled, cascading down her back and ending at her waist.

Negan's eyes lit up, and he gently stroked his hand through her locks. At the same time, Audrey's face had started to burn. Negan noticed, but this only made him smile wider.

'Shit. Your hair is-' Negan couldn't think of the word, instead he brought her locks around so it hung against her chest. 'You grow this yourself?'

Audrey was about to nod, before realising it was a joke. She gave a wide grin, and Negan caressed her cheek, running his thumb over her dimple.

'How's your hands?'

Audrey lifted her hands to show him. They were still wrapped in bandage, but they were spotted with blood from the cuts underneath. Negan tutted and shook his head. Gently grabbing her wrists, he brought her hands up and kissed both palms.

Audrey pulled her eyebrows together, perplexed. 'Um.'

'Shit! Didn't your daddy ever do that for you? I kissed them better.'

Unsure what to say, or to even play along, Audrey stood there, mouth opening and closing like a fish. In the darkest recesses of her mind, she'd wished he kissed her properly. Suddenly, he placed his lips on her forehead, giving her an elongated kiss, at the same time placing a hand on her behind. Audrey shimmied away from him and sat on the bed, she looked flustered and placed a hand on her forehead; her hair draped over her shoulders. 'I don't feel well.' She lied.

'Bullshit.' Negan sat next to her, placing his hands on his thighs. 'Bullshit.' He repeated, but quieter.

Audrey swallowed hard and looked at Negan who was focusing on the floor.

'What's wrong?' He turned his and saw her staring at him, but his face was serious.

'I just…' Audrey felt so embarrassed talking about this to him, she hadn't known him long but for some reason she felt comfortable sharing personal information. There was no escaping this, she was in the Sanctuary for good, she couldn't just walk out just because she felt a pang of nerves. 'You want the long or short version?' She asked.

'Just fucking tell me.' Negan sighed, 'I'm starting to think I fucking smell or something.'

Audrey took a deep breath, 'Basically, I was in a relationship for years, with this guy. I found he'd cheated on me for 75% of it. We hadn't been intimate for quite some time before it ended. The signs were there, but I was just completely fucking oblivious. It really damaged my trust in people, and since then I've not wanted to get close to anyone, incase it happened again.'

'Fuck.' Negan pressed his lips together and quickly glanced at the floor, then back up at Audrey.

'I've always been a little bigger than other women,' she continued, 'I had always blamed myself for being the reason he cheated, and a small part of me still does. I always thought that I wasn't anyone's ideal fantasy, so why even bother anymore?' Tears started to pool in her eyes.

'Shit, Audrey.' Negan gave a hearty laugh and nudged her gently, 'You shoot like fuckin' John Wayne, and have a sense of humour as fucked up as mine. What's not to like?'

As Audrey smiled, a single tear rolled down her cheek, and Negan wiped it with his thumb. With the same hand, he pulled Audrey's face to his and kissed her hard on the lips. Audrey kissed him back, but wasn't able to use her hands, so they rested in her lap. Negan caught onto the fact that she couldn't use them, and this excited him.

He pushed her down onto the bed and with one hand, held her arms above her head. A little moan slipped out of Audrey as he gently kissed her neck, she could feel his stubble rubbing against her skin and she loved it. With his free hand, Negan explored the contours of her body, passing past her breasts and tracing the curve of her waist and hips. His hand returned upwards, this time slipping under her shirt and cupping one of her breasts.

His warm, shallow breaths tingled the skin on her neck he moved her knees apart so he could lay his body against hers. Negan's lips returned to Audrey's, and he moaned into her mouth as his hand writhed under her shirt. 'You like that?' He grumbled into her ear before carefully nibbling it. Audrey breathed the word, 'Yes.' before arching her back as Negan's kisses travelled down her neck, and over her collarbone. He removed his hand from under her shirt, and lifted it up instead. Negan tenderly kissed her collarbone and moved south towards her breasts. Audrey could feel the bulge in his pants as he grinded against her.

'Negan.' Came a static voice.

Negan stopped and looked at Audrey with a furrowed brow.

'Wasn't me.' She said, shrugging her shoulders.

'Negan, do you copy?' It was the walkie talkie on Negan's belt. He groaned and sat up straight, clutching the device in his hands; he cleared his throat and pressed the button.

'Dwight, the fuck do you want?'

'You're needed down in the warehouse, over.'

Negan shook his head and wiped his face. Audrey was still in a reclined position, her hair ruffled and a sultry expression on her face.

'I gotta take this, shit.' He lifted her up and pulled her into a hug. 'So what I was _trying_ to fucking say, is that don't let any motherfucker bring you down. You're beautiful, clear?'

'Crystal.' Audrey smiled, taking in a deep breath of his cologne, hoping it would be something that would stay with her the rest of the night.

Kissing her on the forehead, Negan got up and left, leaving Audrey alone with her own thoughts. In all honesty though, they were pretty good thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10 - Keeping Steady

During the following month, Audrey was given a gun and was shown the procedure on top of the North tower where she was positioned. There wasn't much action, she had shot a couple of walkers, but nothing much else. Audrey did, however, have the pleasure of watching Negan talk to his men at the front gates every morning before getting into his truck and possibly heading to a settlement to collect his scavenged goods. She was slightly surprised she hadn't seen Rick, or anyone from Alexandria come and find her, but in a way she was thankful also. No-one else needed to die, and she wanted to stay here. She felt like she had a purpose - but something was missing - and that something was Pablo.

She'd tried approaching Negan in the week to ask him, but he was almost always away, or super busy with other Saviours. After their heated session in her room, he didn't come to visit her, and he kept his distance. In a way, Audrey felt a twinge of fear that he had lost all interest in her - her nightmare coming back to haunt her. Some nights, she heard banging and moaning coming from the other wives rooms. She wasn't 100% sure whether it was Negan in there, or another male Saviour cashing in his points.

That morning however, the air was crisp and Audrey had to wear a woollen hat and scarf. It was even colder up in the towers, and she had to stay in the same position for hours on end. Sometimes her walkie-talkie would crackle into life, signalling a post swap which was sweet relief for her feet.

Her mealtimes were mostly spent alone and consisted purely of vegetables; sometimes the odd roll of bread. Meat cost points, and she had barely any, but sometimes she was given scraps of meat leftover from roasted pig carcasses on the coldest days - as were all guards.

She particularly enjoyed it when they made thick vegetable soup, as she would pour it into a battered thermos and drink it on the towers, watching the sunset.

Audrey kept her eyes on Negan as he went about his usual rounds in the courtyard. He lined his men up, gave them a quick pep talk, and loaded them all into trucks. She would look down the scope on her gun to get a better view of his face. Sometimes he would sense her looking at him and snap his head up to catch her. There were plenty of occasions where Audrey has almost dropped her rifle doing this.

This time though, he didn't look up, and she was able to gaze at his rugged face and marvel at his amazing smile. Her tongue ran across her teeth as she undressed him with her mind, a silent pleasure of hers.

Negan didn't get in the truck, he walked back into the building. This struck Audrey as odd, since he's been out of those gates every day this month. _Perhaps he just fancied a break_ , she thought. Her watch continued, but her walkie-talkie buzzed. _A swap already?_ She answered the radio, 'Audrey, North tower, over.'

The guard which was taking her over replied, 'Just finishing up a quick errand, will need to take over in a sec, over.'

Audrey shrugged, her shift finishing earlier than usual was a bonus in her eyes. She peered down the scope of her rifle and looked into the distance. The black trucks were just disappearing over the horizon.

'Pretty impressive gun.' A voice came from behind her.

Audrey spun around and aimed at the voice.

'Whoa! Shit! Be careful with that bad boy!' Negan was stood there, hands in the air. 'You could blow me into fucking pieces with that thing.' He had his familiar smirk on his lips.

Audrey lowered the gun and narrowed her eyes.

'Miss me?' Negan extended his arms out for a hug, but she didn't move.

'Where've you been all month?'

'I'm a very busy man, Audrey. I got shit to do, and so do you.' He dropped his arms and leant against the side of the tower. He twirled his finger in the air. 'Turn back around and watch the damn gates.'

Audrey sighed and rolled her eyes, she turned back around and bent down, resting her elbows on the wooden watchtower railing. She cocked up the gun and looked down the scope again. 'Negan, I need to ask you something.' She spoke, keeping her eye on the horizon.

'Ask away.'

'Back at Alexandria, I had a dog...Pablo.'

'Ah! You're that dog lady, I remember now. Fuck, he's a scary-ass dog.'

'I need him here. I don't even know if he's alive.'

Negan took a deep breath, 'Where are we gonna keep a goddamn dog?'

'He'll stay with me, he can eat the leftover bones from the meat in the kitchens. They just get thrown out and burned anyway.'

'I dunno, people aren't gonna like it.'

'You're their fucking leader, Negan.'

Negan raised his eyebrows and gave a wide smile. Approaching Audrey closer, he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, lowering her body onto hers. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

Audrey tensed from the initial shock, but soon relaxed and a grin crept onto her face. She was still facing away.

'Stay focused.' Negan growled, planting a kiss on her neck, 'I missed you.'

Hearing this made Audrey giggle, 'You're going soft.'

'Not quite.' Negan pushed his pelvis against Audrey, and she felt something against her leg.

'Is that your gun?' She smiled.

'I'm unarmed.' He chuckled, kissing her again on the neck, and moving down onto her shoulder.

'You can't just ignore me for a month, then do this.' Audrey tried to reign in the seriousness of the situation again.

Negan stopped kissing and rested his chin on her again. 'You're fuckin' right.'

She could hear him sigh in her ear, and a sullen expression washed over her face. _Am I being too bitchy?_ She pondered, constantly doubting her approach on this. 'I've...missed you too, you know.' She lowered the gun, but kept faced the opposite way, 'I thought I pissed you off or something. I've not spoken to you since I arrived.'

'That's my fault.' Negan stated, 'I've been meaning to come see you, but - shit - I've been so busy. I've only been able to see you now because I've sent Dwight on a pointless fucking errand.' Negan landed a single kiss on her neck, 'In a fucked up way, I guess I don't want anyone knowing about you. I wanted you all to myself like some selfish prick. Shit, if word got out that I was treating you like this, my other men would want in on it too, like all my other wives. And trust me, have you seen some of the motherfuckers? I wouldn't want their faces panting over me, shit!' Negan gave a shudder.

Pleased with what she was hearing, Audrey slowly pushed her behind against Negan's pelvis. 'You can be as selfish as you want.'

Negan smirked and gently bit the section of skin at the crook of her neck, whilst running his hands down the sides of her body. His hands reached her behind and he gave a firm squeeze. He then ran his hands up her hips, across her stomach and grabbed her breasts. Audrey gasped as he fondled her, her hands began to shake.

'Keep steady.' Negan teased, 'Keep your hands on that gun.'

'But-'

'Steady.' Negan's left hand wandered under her shirt and caressed her breast a little more closely, his right hand, however, fell down over her stomach and slid down the front of her pants. He continued kissing her neck and could feel her quivering against his lips.

Negan's right hand went a little lower and Audrey gave a sharp gasp. 'Negan!'

He laughed against the back of her shoulder and concentrated bringing Audrey to the peak of her ecstasy. The gun was rattling on its stand, and Audrey was no longer keeping an eye on things, her eyes were closed, her head thrown back in the midst of it all. Audrey kept grinding herself against him, and when she couldn't take anymore, her knees buckled causing her to fall to the floor, the gun falling in her lap.

Negan crouched down next to her, his grin reaching ear to ear. Audrey grabbed the back of his head and hit him with a kiss as she panted for breath.

'So is that a yes about Pablo?' She finally said.

Negan kissed her forehead and couldn't stop giggling to himself, 'What do you fucking think, darlin'?'


	11. Chapter 11 - Dirty Harry

Since that moment in the watchtower, Audrey had been spotting Negan more and more around the Sanctuary. Whenever he saw her, he gave her a wink and a smile, which made her heart flutter.

They hadn't had another intimate moment since, but Audrey could only imagine what was coming next, if it ever did. She wasn't holding her breath though, either Negan or herself could be killed tomorrow, there was always that risk.

Audrey had just filled her thermos with vegetable soup and was heading to the cloakroom to grab a coat - her shift started in ten minutes. As she approached the doorway, Negan appeared and leaned against the doorframe.

'How's my favourite fucking guard doing today?'

'I don't know, have you asked him?' Audrey smiled, her nose crinkling.

Negan checked that no-one was around and pulled her in for a kiss. He kept his arms wrapped around her, and laid his head on top of hers. Audrey rested her head on his chest and felt comforted by his breathing.

'I'm doing fine, just heading out to my shift.'

'No you're not, you're spending the day with me.'

'Negan!' Dwight called from outside. Negan rolled his eyes and let go of Audrey.

Dwight came storming in and handed Lucille to his boss. 'C'mon we're all wasting gas outside.'

'Arat can go in my place today, I feel I've earned one fucking day off.'

'We're hitting up the Hilltop today.' Dwight continued, scratching his head.

'Fuck. Fuck! Fine.' Negan sighed, swinging Lucille by his side.

'Meet you outside.' Dwight ran out the door, yelling something inaudible to the men in the trucks.

Audrey squeezed Negan's arm, and he knew exactly what she was referring to.

'Yes, I'll get your goddamn dog...tomorrow. I promise. It's Alexandria's turn tomorrow.' He grinned, pulling Audrey into another hug.

Audrey tightened her grip around him in excitement, 'Thank you so much!'

'Careful, kid. You'll bust my fucking lung.' Negan sniggered, kissing her on top of her head. 'Here.'

He grabbed a woolly hat which was hanging on a random hook and slipped it over her head. 'You remember where my room is?'

'Yes, why?' A burst of glee spread through her body as she wondered what he was referring to.

'Meet me there after your shift. I'll be back by then. It's a surprise.' He winked, giving her one last kiss on the forehead and heading out to the trucks.

Audrey waited until he was out of sight, then danced around the cloakroom, throwing on her coat and whistling a tune from a nameless film.

After her shift, Audrey had just enough time to nip to her room to brush her hair and wear her best t-shirt and jeans. She didn't own any fancy clothes, so had to just spruce up the ones she already owned. Audrey patted on a dab of perfume which she found abandoned in the cloakroom. Her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest. _Why am I so nervous?_

Audrey felt like skipping down the corridor leading to his room, but decided not to. She'd look ridiculous, plus people may have started asking questions. She finally ventured upon his room and knocked on the door. Audrey heard shuffling behind the door before it opened and Negan was stood there, a smile already wide on his face.

'Can I help you?'

'Can you spare a moment to talk about our Saviour, Jesus Christ?'

'Fuck!' His smile got wider, and he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into the room, greeting her with a kiss. 'This is why I can't get enough of you. Always fuckin' surprising me.'

Audrey kicked the door closed with her foot, and took her time kissing Negan deeply, something she hadn't yet had chance to do. Her hands ran through his hair, as did his hands with hers.

Negan suddenly came up for air and tenderly pushed her away, 'We'll have to put a pin in that.' He grinned, turning around and walking into the middle of his room. It was simply decorated. It certainly wasn't as large as Audrey was expecting, but it had a plush rug, a TV and shelves full of books and VHS tapes. His bed was neatly made and a small table and chairs sat in the corner.

'Mi casa, su casa!' Negan spread his arms wide. He looked a lot different as was wearing a plain white t-shirt, and his typical pants and boots. Without the leather jacket he looked less intimidating, but also, Audrey was able to see the tattoos on his arms, something which was a sure-fire turn on for her.

Negan pulled out a plastic box from his shelves and placed it on the floor in front of his TV, 'I thought you might wanna watch a movie with me?' He waved a VHS copy of Die Hard. His smile was almost innocent, almost naive.

Audrey kneeled next to the box and rummaged around. Negan watched her intently. She pulled out a VHS near the bottom of the box.

'Pretty Woman?' Audrey cackled, wiggling it near his face, 'Is this yours?'

Negan raised his hands, 'I fucking swear, it was found during a supply run. I've never watched the fucking thing!'

Audrey narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips as she placed the film back in the box, disbelieving him. She grabbed another and held it up, 'You ever seen this one?'

'Dirty Harry? No, nope.' Negan raised an eyebrow, 'You're a bit fucking young to remember that film, right?'

Audrey giggled, 'It's a fucking classic!' She attempted her best Clint Eastwood impersonation, 'Do you feel lucky, punk? Ever heard anyone say that before? This is where it's from!'

'Well, fuck me! I may have to steal that fucking line.' Negan took the VHS from her and started to read the back.

Audrey tried to read his expressions as he read the cover, once he was finished he nodded his head.

'Not fucking bad, shall we stick this in?'

'Your video player actually works?' Audrey frowned, inspecting the clunky-looking TV. She wasn't actually expecting it to work. She hadn't watched TV in such a long time.

'It's a fuckin' two-in-one deal. It's a TV but has the VHS thing built in, see?' He slipped the tape into the rectangular slot and the screen flickered to life. 'Go wait for me in bed, I got this.'

The couple were reclined in his bed still fully clothed, pillows propped Negan's head up so he could see. Audrey was laying on his chest with his arm wrapped around her.

Images of Clint Eastwood lit up the screen, pointing his Magnum revolver at an unlucky individual. He said his famous line, and Negan's mouth curled into a smile.

'He fucking said it!' An excited Negan looked down at the woman on his chest. He sat up slightly to look at her face.

Audrey was asleep, and looked so peaceful. Her eyelashes fluttered as he lay back down, but she soon drifted back off.

Negan kissed the top of her head and continued watching the rest of the movie, grinning to himself.


	12. Chapter 12 - Liar

**(Thanks for sticking around guys! I admit - this is a bit of a slow one, but there were various gaping plot-holes I had to patch up! Enjoy!)**

Audrey woke up and panicked for a second. She wasn't in her room and had a terrible case of bedhead. She stretched her arms out and realised - space - she was in a double bed. The other half of it was empty of course, she didn't expect Negan to still be there.

Light shone from through the window, _it's morning already_. Audrey climbed out of bed, still fully dressed from the night before and rubbed her eyes. The plastic box containing VHS tapes was still on the floor, and she had a sudden realisation that she had slept through the majority of the film.

A rustling came from the adjacent bathroom, and Negan walked out, brushing his teeth - topless. His hair was wet and he pointed a thumb at the TV, 'Great fuckin' film.' He walked into the bathroom, spit, and cleaned his face. Negan came and sat next to Audrey on the bed, who couldn't take her eyes off his chest, and she felt bad for staring.

'Something wrong?' Negan grinned, ruffling Audrey's hair. She playfully slapped away his hand.

'I'm good, I'm good.' She squeaked, taking sneaky glances at his bare torso. Her face flushed red, so she sped into the bathroom so he couldn't see. 'I can't wait to see Pablo today.'

Negan rubbed his hand through his wet hair and a concerned look spread across his face, 'Shit, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea today.'

A clatter came from the bathroom as Audrey had dropped something in shock. She peeked around the doorframe, 'You promised?'

'Well, I know I fuckin' did but-'

'But what?'

Negan was silent. He didn't want to say the wrong thing; the last thing he wanted to do was upset her, but he had already succeeded in that.

'Fuck!' She yelled, storming into the room and quickly tying up her hair. 'I knew you wouldn't keep your word. You fucking lied to me!'

'Audrey, fuckin' listen to me-' Negan stood up, and his body language became more tense.

'No, I'm going to get him today, fuck this.'

'You can't.'

'Why not?'

'Because I fucking said so.'

Audrey looked up at him and grimaced, 'And what?'

'Saviours don't leave the Sanctuary whenever they fuckin' please, Audrey. That's not how we do shit around here!'

Audrey grabbed the rest of her things and opened his door, 'I'm not a fucking Saviour. I've been here too long without him. He's family. If you had family, you'd fucking understand. You killed my fucking sister, remember that? Stop wasting my time.' Audrey slammed his door shut and his furniture rattled.

Negan fell back down on his bed and put his head in his hands. Her words cut deep. 'Fuck!' He bellowed, marching across the room and grabbing his jacket and Lucille. With one clean sweep of the bat, he hit the VHS box which sat on the TV, sending it flying across the room, hitting the opposite wall.

Audrey reached the front courtyard and stood at the gates, peering out at the long road ahead of her. There were a couple of guard stood at the gate staring blankly at her. She was sure she saw them tightening the grip on their guns. Audrey slipped her woolly hat over her head and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jacket. She approached the men who blocked her path.

'I'm going to Alexandria.' Audrey frowned, trying to get past them, with no luck.

'Not if he has anything to say about it.' A guard nodded his head to signal something was behind her.

Negan was closing in on her fast, his face was a picture of rage and Lucille was firmly in his hand. As his boots thumped closer, Audrey stood her ground and took a few deep breaths.

'What the actual fucking fuck are you doing, huh?' Negan roared, pacing a circle around her. 'I bring you here, I fucking feed you, I fucking clothe you, I fucking give you a bed, and this is how you repay me?' His voice was getting louder still.

Audrey's face was a mix of fear, and disgust. Was everything they shared together a farce? A way to manipulate her to stay here in the Sanctuary and fuck everything and everyone else? She held her hands close to her shaking chest, and adrenaline started to course its way through her body.

'Fuck her up, Negan!' One goon yelled.

Negan spun around and pointed Lucille at him, 'Shut the fuck up.' He ordered his men to back the fuck up, leaving himself and Audrey alone at the front of the gates.

'Are you going to get back inside, or do I have to fucking make you?' He yelled, hovering over her.

Audrey looked up at him, his intimidating height towering over her. She felt so small. She looked up at his face, and he winked. Audrey raised an eyebrow in confusion.

'Do you need me to fucking take you to Alexandria and show those motherfuckers how we run this shit?' Again, he winked.

Audrey's mouth opened and closed, lost for words. What did he expect her to say?

'Y...yes?' She whispered, nodding like a lost puppy.

'Done fuckin' deal.' Negan turned to his men and instructed them to get a truck ready. A few hefty men arrived in their biggest truck, loaded with heavy guns as a means of defense.

'I'm sorry.' Negan whispered, before turning around and ordering his men to open the gates.

'Sorry for what?' Audrey muttered, but he didn't hear her. If his macho show of power was a ruse, then what exactly was he apologising for?

The heavy gates of Alexandria opened, and the truck rolled onto the gravelled path. Negan hopped out and met Rick face-to-face.

'You're early...again.' Rick said sternly.

Negan grinned and leaned against the front of the truck. 'We're not here for supplies, Rick.' Negan went to the passenger side of the truck and grabbed Audrey by the arm. Before he pulled her out, he gave her a look of concern, but she was still none the wiser as to what he was up to. He would've kissed her if he could, but his goons were everywhere. He had to keep up appearances.

Once Audrey was dragged from the van, Rick and the others looked surprised, and at the same time, relieved.

'Audrey?' Rick's eyes were wide, and he wiped his face with his hand.

Audrey gave a meek wave as Negan dragged her into the middle of Alexandria. He held her arm high up in the air. 'This motherfucker-' he paused as he thought ahead, '-has been with us the whole fucking time. She tried to fuckin' kill me.'

Audrey almost choked in surprise. _What did he just fucking say?_ His goons also gave Negan a weird look with that remark, doubt and shock weighed down the atmosphere.

'You said she was dead?' Rick questioned, as he narrowed his eyes - something he always did when suspicious of something. _He told them I was dead?!_

'You think I'd want you pricks knocking at my fucking door everyday?' Negan explained, 'Of course I said she was dead. She's fucking dead to you all. She's a fuckin' Saviour now.'

'Negan?' Audrey whispered, her face not fitting that of the typical scared hostage.

'Shut up,' he replied quietly. 'Now where's her fucking mutt?' He yelled, looking all around him.

'The dog?' Rick asked, seriously confused by the situation.

'I'll break it down for ya.' Negan chimed, 'Give me the dog. Give me Audrey, and I won't fucking kill you all in your sleep. Now that sounds like a fucking great dealeo to me!'

'Let me speak with her.' Rick came closer, and Negan let go of her arm.

'Now, where are your fucking manners, Rick?'

A long pause came from Rick, 'Please.'

Negan curtseyed and allowed Rick to speak to a bewildered Audrey, but he kept close so he could still hear the conversation.

'Is Pablo still alive?' Audrey asked desperately, she'd wanted to know the answer to this since she left.

'He-' Just as Rick was replying, Pablo raced from one of the houses towards Audrey. He jumped into her arms and she fell to the floor as he licked her face.

Audrey's arms were wrapped around Pablo and she never wanted to let go. Tears rolled down her face as she couldn't hold back sobs of joy.

Negan watched as they frolicked on the floor. He watched as Pablo's tail wagged frantically. Negan couldn't help as the side of his mouth curled upwards, he loved watching Audrey laughing manically on the floor whilst experiencing death by doggy kisses - it warmed his cold heart.

Once Audrey was back on her feet, Rick didn't waste any time getting to the bottom of things.

'Audrey, why did you leave?'

It was as if she had rehearsed the answer in her head a million times before arriving, as if she anticipated it, 'It was hard to stay here when everything reminded me of Olivia, it reminded me of what once was. It was driving me fucking insane, my thoughts were becoming darker and darker. I needed to keep myself busy, and you never fucking let me, Rick. You kept me on inventory, Olivia's fucking job. How did you expect me to cope with that? Manning the watchtowers at the Sanctuary is what I needed. You never allowed me on supply runs, which was so fucking irritating!'

'Does he know why I wouldn't let you have a gun?' Rick replied, nodding his head towards Negan. He continued without a second thought, 'She shot a child, Negan.'

Negan raised and eyebrow and looked at Audrey who became sheepish. 'This, fuckin' true?' He was morbidly curious at what was to come next.

Rick took a deep breath, 'There were some kids playing around here.' Rick circled his finger towards a patch of grass nearby, 'They were around the ages of 9 or 10. One of them had an idea to go play outside the walls of Alexandria. They were only small, they managed to find a way out through a gap or some shit. Audrey was literally about to go on her first supply run, she sees a rustling in the bushes and fires. Nerves got the best of her, she was too quick on the trigger. Poor kid didn't stand a chance.'

A silence fell on the group, and Rick shook his head, the memories flooding back of having to carry a small child with a bullet wound in the head, blood soaking his clothes.

Negan cut through the silence, 'Well boo-fucking-hoo, she made a mistake. She's the best fucking marksman I have on the compound.'

'I'm leaving, Rick.' Audrey was crouched down stroking Pablo, 'For good. It's for the best. There's too many bad memories for me here.' Audrey had been haunted by her mistake every single night. She thought about that child's family, and how she had shattered it with one quick move. She'd always been great with guns, that wasn't the problem, it was her nerves that killed that child.

'So you left...wanting to join the Saviours by choice? You didn't leave to try and kill him?'

'Fucking bingo!' Negan laughed, 'You've figured it all out, haven't you Rick? Can't pull the fucking wool over your eyes, can we?'

'Are you fucking crazy?' Michonne piped up, stepping forwards to be next to Rick. 'He's fucked up!'

Audrey smiled, grabbing Pablo by the collar, 'Thing is, so am I. We all are.'

The exchange between the Saviours and Alexandrians had ended just before noon. Negan and Audrey travelled back, but she didn't say a word to him. _Not_ when entering the trucks, _not_ when leaving the trucks, _not_ when walking down the corridor to her room, _not_ when he followed her to her room and stood leaning against the doorframe as she tried to settle Pablo in her room.

'Don't feel like talking?' Negan had a cheeky grin on his face.

'You told them I was dead. You made me think they'd forgotten about me! You've lied to me enough today. I have nothing to say to you.'

Negan entered the room and stroked Pablo on the head, the dog gave a low growl. 'I think this fucker likes me!'

Audrey stayed silent and did her best to avoid his gaze.

'Audrey, I'm sorry.'

'Shove it.'

'You know, I do fuckin' love it when a girl's feisty.'

Audrey shot him a furious glance, before sitting on her bed with her arms folded across her chest.

'I know you don't mean it.' Negan smiled, slowly walking over and gently grabbing a section of hair rubbing it between his fingers and thumb. Audrey slapped his hand away and suddenly, out of nowhere, she burst out crying.

Never knowing what to do when a woman cries in front of him, Negan widened his eyes in a panic. He knew it was his fault that she was so upset, but he had no fucking clue what to do!

Audrey wiped her eyes and looked up at him, 'I've told you why it's hard for me to trust people. Now I can't even trust you anymore. I've told you some very personal things. It's embarrassing if you throw that trust back in my face.'

She started to sob again, and Negan sat beside her and held her close. He didn't know what to say, but he felt fucking terrible. His sturdy arms squeezed her against him, and she wiped her eyes on his t-shirt. He could say sorry a million times and he knew that it wouldn't fix anything. He had broken her trust, and it would take hard work to build that back up again. Negan kissed the top of her head and slightly rocked her. She clung to him, letting years of pain soak into his shirt, but he didn't care about his shirt. There were very few things that mattered to Negan in his life, Lucille being one of them. She came out of fucking nowhere, but Negan couldn't help feeling overprotective of Audrey. He couldn't explain how it happened either, there was just something about her which excited him and intrigued him at the same time - and he wasn't prepared to lose her.


	13. Chapter 13 - Sweet Moonshine

Audrey's feet felt sore in her boots as she waited in line at the canteen. She was at the back of the miserable line, and it seemed like hours since she'd moved forwards. Nothing spectacular was on the menu, probably just crusty bread and potatoes; perhaps vegetables if Negan was feeling generous that day. The weather was getting colder, and Audrey had resorted to wearing her woolly hat and coat indoors. The luxury of functioning heating was unheard of in the factory, well, the majority of the vicinity anyway. Audrey shuffled her feet and rubbed her hands to stay warm.

When she finally reached the food counter, one of the servers stared blankly at her.

'Uh, you're Audrey, right? Girl with the dog?'

Audrey heard tutting and inaudible comments coming from the line behind her when her dog was mentioned. She had experienced this every single day when taking Pablo for a walk around the perimeter. Audrey had been grateful she left Pablo in her room, otherwise she would've had to utilise his teeth. She nodded her head

'Yeah, I'm Audrey with the dog.' As she said this, she turned and gave a death-stare at the people who disapproved.

'Negan wanted me to hand you this.' The gormless server reached under the counter and pulled out a blue plastic bag. 'It's your lunch, I think.'

'Did you have to suck his dick for that shit?' A random man said behind her.

Audrey turned to face him and smiled, 'I wouldn't be down here eating with you sad fucks if I had sucked his dick.' She winked at the man and left the canteen wondering what was in the bag.

Audrey sat on a bench in the cloakroom - it was fairly empty as people only visited in passing. She untied the bag and rustled inside. In the bag was a fairly hefty ham bone - for Pablo she assumed - a written note and a small plastic lunch box. She opened the lunch box and found a generously filled pork sandwich, stuffed with lettuce and tomatoes. Next to it was a small slice of apple pie, kept fresh in plastic wrap.

Audrey sighed and shook her head, _am I obliged to thank him?_ She read the note which read:

 _Audrey, just wanna say I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me. I'm shit at writing letters, so I got you a sandwich and some pie. It's my favourite kind. Enjoy, Negan. P.S I also got Pablo a bone, perhaps I can give you one later? x_

Audrey couldn't help smiling at the gesture. Not wanting to get pulled under by his charms, she crumpled up the letter and stuffed it in her coat pocket. She spent the remainder of her lunch hour eating her sandwich peacefully at the top of her watchtower, with Negan's smile occasionally flashing across her mind.

Pablo was sat impatiently outside the washroom. He held his lead in his mouth and waited for Audrey to finish so they could have a walk outside. She had to share a washroom with all of Negan's wives as they all pretty much lived in rooms the size of cupboards - Audrey's actually _being_ a cupboard. She threw water on her face and glanced in the mirror. Touching the dark circles under her eyes, she wished she had access to make-up. The only ones who wore make-up here were Negan's wives; since she stayed in the watchtower all day, there was no point in wearing it. Puffing out her cheeks, Audrey braced herself for the cold day ahead and slipped her cold hands into her coat pockets. She felt the crumpled up note from Negan. Without thinking, she threw it in the small bin under the sink. _No distractions_ , she thought.

Leaving the washroom, Audrey picked up Pablo's lead and he jumped around in joy.

'Where're you going?' A voice came from behind her.

Audrey spun around and saw Carmel. She was completely naked apart from a small pair of shorts. She had a towel draped over one arm, and the other was leaning against the wall.

'What do you care?' Audrey replied, she didn't have to turn round to know it was Carmel behind her. She could pick out that entitled, southern voice from a crowded room. The girls had a bad history between them, ever since Audrey joined the Saviours, Carmel had tried her very hardest to make life a living hell for her. Carmel's escapades included "accidentally" knocking into Audrey as she was carrying her soup, calling her names as she walked past, and spreading rumours about her throughout the Sanctuary. It was like she was back in high school, it was more of an annoyance than anything.

'Make sure you keep that thing tied up.' Carmel spat as she recalled her close encounter with Pablo the day before, she had gotten a bit too close for his liking.

Audrey turned around and put a hand on her hip, the other hand loosely held Pablo's lead, 'This _thing_ as in Pablo? I can introduce you both again if you want?'

'Fuck you, if that dog touches me, Negan will have your head!'

'I doubt it.'

'Is something going on between you two? I heard what happened in Alexandria. Negan was basically kissing your ass in front of all his men, begging for this fuckin' mutt back.' Carmel kept her distance, if Pablo hadn't have been there, she would've already been in Audrey's face by now.

'Nothing is going on. I'd been doing a good job, and he rewarded me by letting me have my dog back. Plain and fucking simple.' Audrey gripped the lead tighter and turned back around to walk away

'Good, keep it that way. He's ours.' Carmel looked Audrey up and down, 'You'll never be a wife anyway, he likes his gals neat n' naughty.' Carmel smirked as she opened the washroom door, 'Gotta go darlin', I'm still sore from his mighty good fuckin' last night.' She cackled as she slammed the door behind her.

Audrey stood there for a second, not knowing whether Carmel was telling the truth or not. She hoped it was just a cruel lie to make her feel like shit, but considering she hadn't seen Negan properly in 48 hours, she was starting to doubt. _Then what was his note about?_ She thought. _Surely he won't still be involved with his wives, right?_

The next morning, Audrey had woken at 5am. She had the early-bird shift at the watchtower. Lazily pulling on her boots and coat, she trundled down to the courtyard and towards the watchtower steps. The sky was pink and the clouds almost appeared purple, however, no birds were singing. This world was far from a Disney movie. She climbed up the steps and nodded at the guy she was relieving from his night shift. Finally reaching the top, she leant her rifle on the side and grabbed a small wooden stool from the corner. Audrey sat on it, and tightened the laces on her boots. From the corner of her eye, she spotted something stuck to her rifle. There was something small and white sellotaped on, she picked up the gun and checked the object. It was a small chocolate bar. Wrapped around the bar was a piece of paper with the initial N written in black marker.

'Fuck.' Audrey breathed, the warm air from her mouth forming a misty cloud. She carefully slipped the bar into her pocket.

Suddenly she heard feet running up the steps, a random guard appeared, 'Audrey, you're supposed to be down front today.'

Audrey squinted, 'What?'

'You're being relieved from here today, you're doing a run up North.'

'A supply run?'

'Yeah.' The man looked at her strangely, 'Haven't you been told?'

Audrey picked up her rifle, 'Nope. I don't get told anything around here.'

Her boots crunching on the gravel, Audrey joined the rest of the group formed at the gates. It didn't take Negan long to appear from the factory, holding Lucille on his shoulder and grinning all the way.

'Men!' He bellowed, 'And lady.' He winked at Audrey, 'Today's the day. A small, but very fuckin' generous compound up North are gonna provide us with what we need to start a new fuckin' future here in the Sanctuary.' Negan had his men, and Audrey, in a line and was walking back and forth in front of them. 'It's gonna be one hell of a delicate mission. I don't want any of you fucks messin' this one up!'

Audrey watched him intently, her heart fluttered every time he caught her eye, but she tried not to let it show. His beard had grown back to its normal, handsome ruggedness and she was having a hard time keeping her focus on anything else. However, her head kept screaming to her, _he's still sleeping Carmel, he lied to you!_ Audrey shook herself out of it and kept her eyes on the ground.

Negan signalled with his hand, 'Roll out!'

Everyone jumped into the trucks and journeyed their way to the compound.

The compound was tiny compared to the Sanctuary. It held less than 30 people and was close to a stream abundant with fish. Because of this, they didn't need to grow as many vegetables or harm any wildlife. Their houses were hand-built from wood and thatch, and an efficient, tight-knit community thrived in their lush surroundings. There was plenty of wood, fish, and fertile soil to keep a community alive for generations.

The Saviours poured out of the black trucks, Audrey kept close to Negan - her job being his personal bodyguard. They all approached the nervous looking residents, and the leader held his arms out to greet Negan.

'Negan!' He began, 'We have prepared what you need.'

Audrey saw a few people pulling small wooden wagons, filled with all sorts of scavenged pipes, machinery and gizmos. She had no idea what any of this stuff was, but it looked pretty valuable.

'You sure this is everything?' Negan asked, looking sceptical about the wagons which were laid in front of him.

'E-everything you could possibly need, and more.' The leader stumbled over his words as he eyed up Lucille.

Another resident wheeled a wagon with a large plastic container filled with live fish. 'There's live fish, and fish eggs, freshly laid not too long ago. They're good to go, just be careful.'

'I'm always fuckin' careful.' Negan eyed up his goods and waved his hand, 'Load 'em up boys!' His men went to load the trucks up and left Negan with Audrey and the leader.

Audrey kept her rifle crosshair on the leader's forehead, she was grateful to Negan for letting her on a supply run, but she knew that you couldn't trust anyone. However, Negan signalled for her to drop her weapon.

'No need for violence here, right?' Negan chuckled, moving closer to the leader.

The leader swallowed hard and bobbed his head, 'N-no need at all.'

'Great!' Negan grinned, 'Would you mind if I stick around for a bit?' Before the leader could reply, Negan answered his own question, 'Thanks a bunch! I love your fuckin' tiny houses. I feel like little fuckin' cartoon critters should be dancing around this shit.'

Negan turned to Audrey with a smirk on his face, 'Wanna grab a drink?'

Audrey kept a straight face and looked away from him.

Negan sighed and grabbed Audrey's rifle. 'It won't take long.' He walked off, rifle in one hand, Lucille in the other.

Audrey, not wanting to stay alone with the creepy leader, followed Negan into one of the small wooden houses. Negan had been here plenty of times, and these people were great at brewing their own apple cider and vodka - albeit they had an amateur taste about them.

The house they entered was very quaint, it had little square windows fit with shutters as windows were almost impossible to make in the post-apocalypse. There was a small table and chairs in the middle of the room, dressed with a tartan cloth, a makeshift stove in the corner, and various wooden shelves and cabinets holding trinkets. In one of the cabinets was a large opaque jug, holding some sort of drink. Negan uncorked it and smelt the contents. He squinted and turned his nose away.

'Yup, I think I found it.' He laughed between coughs.

'I don't want any.' Audrey said, stood in the corner with her arms folded. There was a scowl on her face which was taking all her inner strength to maintain, but in the dimly lit house, Negan was looking particularly ravishing indeed. He wore his best smile whilst pouring her a drink, his hair wasn't a strand out of place, and when he removed his leather jacket to hang on the back of a chair, she almost let out a squeak. Audrey's insides were dancing as he sauntered over with a cup filled with the alcohol.

'Here.' Negan grinned, knowing that what he was doing was working.

'No. I meant what I said.' Audrey took the cup from him and threw it out the window.

'Well shit, Audrey, I'm trying my fucking best here!' Negan pulled out a chair and sat down. He thumped his fist on the table. 'I fuckin' send you...fuckin' gifts and shit, and bring you on a supply run because that goddamn prick from Alexandria didn't think you were worth it. And not to mention, I brought your fuckin' dog back! I'm very fuckin' sorry for lying but it's a warzone outside and we need to do dark shit sometimes. Life isn't all fuckin' roses and rainbow anymore.'

Audrey paused for a second and uncrossed her arms. She let Negan's words sink in, but she still had questions that needed answering.

'Are you still sleeping with your wives?'

Negan looked at her with a furrowed brow, he took a deep breath and started tapping the table with his index finger. 'No.'

'I don't believe you.'

'Well, shit. What a fuckin' surprise.'

'Carmel said-'

'Carmel? Oh jesus.' Negan wagged his finger at Audrey, 'I know exactly what she's been doing.' Negan took a drink from his cup, and winced at the taste. 'She's a smart one. She's done it with every fuckin' female in the Sanctuary.'

'Done what?'

Negan took another drink, and grimaced, not learning from the first time, 'She's a jealous motherfucker. Wants me all to herself. Doesn't mind sharing me with the other wives, but fuck, she's a goddamn crazy-ass bitch.'

Audrey stayed quiet, not knowing whether to trust what he was saying or not. She shifted on the spot, and Negan noticed.

'Listen, I don't _expect_ you to believe a word that comes outta my goddamn mouth. But I'm willing to keep trying to gain your trust again, no matter how long it fuckin' takes. Even if I have to send you all the fuckin' apple pie I own, and please don't make me do that.' Negan grinned widely and took another drink. 'This stuff tastes like shit. You did right by throwing it out.'

Audrey hesitantly moved to the opposite chair and sat down. She laid her palms out flat on the table and took a deep breath. Unable to sit still, she slowly got up and walked around the room. Negan watched every step, and gazed at her thick hourglass figure. He studied her as she released her hair from its tie and let it fall against her back. Ever curious, the side of his lip curled.

'Put your jacket back on.' Audrey said, folding her arms.

Negan frowned as he did as she said, 'You really wanna go back?'

'Shut the fuck up.' Audrey shook her head, her hands were shaking by her sides.

Negan, looking ever more confused, wondered if he had said something to offend her. His mind worked overtime as he thought back on what he said. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but he was silent.

Audrey surged forwards, a serious expression on her face. Negan leant back, expecting her to punch him, or at least give him a good slap. Instead, she straddled his lap and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. It took a second for Negan to register what was happening, but once he did, he kissed her back with a ferocious passion.

Audrey's hands gripped the shoulders of his leather jacket, 'You're so fucking sexy with this on.' She breathed in between kisses. Negan gave a low chuckle against her mouth. His hands stroked her back, before heading lower and firmly grabbing her behind.

Audrey's hands traced Negan's chest, travelling south until she could feel his belt buckle. Negan felt her fiddling with it, he stopped kissing her and raised his eyebrows. 'Serious?'

Audrey mischievously bit her bottom lip and gave Negan a short, sharp slap across the cheek. He took one hand off her behind to feel his stinging face. 'You bad girl.' He growled, as he grinned from ear to ear.

Negan shifted Audrey off, pressed himself against her and continued kissing her; their moans melting into one. Audrey helped Negan remove his belt, and his pants dropped to the floor. His hands caressed her head and revelled in the thickness of her locks. Negan's lips moved down onto her neck, both kissing and nibbling her as she gasped in response.

It was all very quick, and fiery as Negan turned Audrey around and pushed her against the table. He removed her pants and kicked them to one side. Bending her over, he lay his body on top of hers, kissing her back and pressing his pelvis into her curvaceous behind; only underwear separated their desires.

With one swift movement, and a lot of heavy breathing, they soon became one as Negan kept a tight hold of her hair. Big things were happening in this tiny house; the table was rocking, bookshelves were shaking, and it was a surprise that no-one came to investigate - although it wouldn't have stopped either of them finally giving into their shared lust for one another.

Negan's men stood around the trucks, some smoking, others complaining about Negan's utter lack of timekeeping. Everything was packed away in the trucks and ready to go. Soon, Negan and Audrey appeared from one of the houses. Audrey's hair was a little frizzier than before, and her cheeks bright red. Negan, cool as a cucumber, strutted towards the trucks with the biggest smile they'd ever seen on their boss. The men all gave each other sideways glances, raising eyebrows and wondering what the hell was wrong with Negan.

'Found the moonshine, Negan?' One man asked.

'Fuck yeah, it was sweet as hell!' Negan laughed, helping Audrey into the truck. 'We'll be back in a week.' Negan yelled to the leader of the compound, 'One of your houses may need a little cleaning - got a little messy when trying to find that moonshine.' Negan smirked and closed the truck door behind him.


	14. Chapter 14 - Last Straw

Audrey was woken by the sound of a door shutting. As her eyes flickered open and focused on her surroundings, she realised that door was hers. The room was dark, but the light from the hallway slithered into the room. The door hadn't closed properly and it was slightly ajar. Audrey sprung out of bed and nervously looked out into the hallway; she didn't see anyone. Perhaps it was Negan coming to check on her?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a whining behind her. Flicking on her lamp, Audrey gasped and rushed over to the corner of her room where Pablo was lying there, limbs and mouth tied up in duct tape.

'What the fuck!' Audrey cried, tears rolling down her cheek as she carefully peeled back the tape. Small chunks of hair were pulled out as she removed it, and she was extra careful around his snout.

Audrey was a fairly heavy sleeper, and she partly blamed herself for not waking up and catching whoever had done this. Once Pablo was finally free, she pulled him into a tight hug, and he licked her face in response. Something didn't feel quite right though, and she couldn't put her finger on it.

Standing up and patting Pablo on the head, she quickly looked at her watch. 5am. It was still super early, and Audrey wasn't on shift until 10am.

She turned to switch off her lamp, but something unusual caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Audrey saw hair on her bed - but it wasn't a few strands - it was whole sections of hair sprawled over her pillow. Shaking, she reached up and touched her head. Half her hair was missing. She let out a blood-curdling scream and grabbed at sections of her hair, none of it reached past her shoulders, and it was all uneven. Audrey felt like she was going to be sick, who would do such a thing to her hair, and most importantly, Pablo.

She clipped a leash on Pablo and stormed out her room with him - she didn't want to leave him alone. She tied the dog to a pipe outside the washroom, and threw the door open. Clicking on the light and staring into the mirror, the full severity of the situation dawned on her. Audrey's long, thick locks had been hacked to death - all that remained was a zigzag of shoulder length hair. Again she screamed, causing a couple of wandering guards to come rushing into the washroom. They stood there, pressing their eyebrows together as they analysed the situation.

'What's wrong?' One of them asked.

Tears stained Audrey's cheeks and she pointed at her head, 'This! Someone has cut my hair, and tied up my dog too!'

'Doesn't look too bad.' One of the men tilted his head to get a better look, the other man was trying to focus his attention elsewhere since she was only in a t-shirt and knickers.

'Get Negan.' Audrey growled.

'Is that really necessary? He's gonna be asleep. He's not gonna like-'

'Did I fucking stutter?' She interrupted loudly, making Pablo stir and growl outside, 'This is sick!'

The men shrugged and one of them reached for his radio. He clicked the button whilst sighing, 'Dwight, you copy, over?'

A few moments passed, but the radio buzzed into life, 'Dwight here, what's the situation, over.'

The man paused and wracked his brain with how to respond, 'We have…some sort of...situation here with a girl in the East wing, over.'

'What the fuck do you mean, over?' Dwight sounded unimpressed.

'Her hair's been cut, something happened to her dog. She wants Negan, over.'

'Dog? Oh for fuck's sake.' Dwight mumbled some more curse, 'She better be dying. Not waking Negan up for anything less.'

'She's not dying. Forget it, over.' The man stuffed the radio back into the belt of his pants and shrugged his shoulders again, 'Sorry, sweetie, just go...tie your hair up or something.'

Audrey stood there, mouth agape. No-one was prepared to help her, so she'd help herself. 'Fuck you. I'll go see him myself.'

'Nice knowing you.' One of the men scoffed before they both left her alone in the washroom with nothing but handfuls of hair.

Audrey leaned over the sink, splashing her face with water to disguise the tears. She soon left and returned to her room with Pablo. This was the first time she let him on the bed with her. He had soon returned to sleep, and she just cuddled him, playing with his fur between her fingers. Sleep wasn't coming at all; it was already 5am, so she had played yesterday's antics in her head on repeat: the rattle of the wooden table, the smell of Negan's cologne, the cold feel of the leather against her skin, the smiles between kisses.

Before she knew it, the sun was up, and she had to go to work.

Audrey had completed the first half of her shift, the entire time concealing her hair under her hat. She would've been mortified if Negan had seen her looking like this, so she was thankful he had woken up late and rushed out to the Kingdom without saying hello.

Audrey made her way to the canteen to grab some lunch as her mind worked overtime trying to find a solution for her hair. She hadn't seen any wigs at the Sanctuary, and there's certainly no salon there either.

Audrey wasn't particularly hungry, so she grabbed an apple and sat at a solitary metal table. As she took the first bite, Carmel walked into the canteen with a couple of the other wives. She flicked her long, blonde hair over her shoulder and gossiped quietly with the women beside her. Suddenly, she had noticed Audrey sitting there alone, and she started to giggle. She whispered something in one of the wife's ears and sauntered over to Audrey.

'Need some company?' She smiled, leaning her hands on the table, causing her ample bosom to inflate.

'I'm good.' Audrey muttered, biting her apple again and turning away.

There was a small snigger, 'Whatever happened to your hair?'

Audrey spun back around and narrowed her eyes, 'Nothing.' She kept a close eye on Carmel.

'News travels fast, honey.' Carmel laughed, and she walked back to the other wives.

Audrey paused a second, and watched as Carmel shot her a smug look from over her shoulder. Suddenly, Audrey threw her apple, smacking Carmel hard on the back of the head.

The blonde held her head, 'What the fuck was that for?' She spat through gritted teeth.

'It was you!' Audrey stood up and slammed her hands down on the table.

'Fuck you.' Carmel grimaced, 'You fucking deserve it, you hog.'

A small group of men hovered around, some stood there holding trays, others turned on their chairs - all entertained by the situation.

Carmel was wearing a short, black dress. It was low cut, and she reached into her bra and pulled out a small piece of paper. She waved it above her head, and put another hand on her hip.

'This little note from Negan was the final straw.' Carmel pouted, crumpling it up in her hand and dropping it to the floor, 'He's too good for you, honey. He needs a real woman.'

Audrey threw the small metal table out of her way and stomped towards Carmel, who had been taken aback by Audrey's sudden anger, and tried to shield herself. Audrey punched Carmel square in the nose, causing her to fall back hard onto the concrete floor. Blood gushed out of her face as Audrey kneeled on top of her, hammering her skull with punch after punch. One of the other wives tried grabbing Audrey, but she had elbowed her in the face, instantly breaking her nose and she shrieked in pain. Audrey grabbed Carmel's hair and used it to smash her head against the ground, with each thump, Audrey peppered it with a curse word.

Another few moments passed and that's when the men in the room realised that it was getting too serious and they lifted Audrey off Carmel's bloodied body. Audrey was left panting, her teeth still gritted in rage and several men carried her off to the lock-up. As she was being towed away, the rage faded from her eyes and she noticed how much blood was on Carmel. _Negan is not gonna like this._


	15. Chapter 15 - The Rooftop

The lock-up was pretty much just a prison, but some describe it as a dungeon. Audrey's cell was basically a dark, dingy room, bare of any wallpaper or flooring and was incredibly cold. Instead of the traditional metal bars, the entrance was just a bog-standard door with no window. The only light source came from the small gap under the door. There was no furniture, so Audrey had no choice but to sit on the floor. As she sat in the corner, leaning against the wall, she thought about what would happen to her. Violence against others wasn't tolerated in the Sanctuary, and people regularly get punished for it. _What will Negan do?_ Audrey thought, bringing her knees closer to her body. She had probably only been in there a few hours, but it felt like days. Everything had been confiscated from her, including her hat and boots. She wore her shirt and jeans, nothing else.

Just then, Audrey heard a scuffling outside and raised voices. The voices were getting closer until she realised one of them was Negan.

'The fuck were you fucking thinking?' She heard him say to someone as the shadows of his feet appeared under the door.

The door swung open, and the bright light made Audrey wince. She covered her face with her arm, and in the same moment, Negan grabbed that arm and pulled her to her feet, 'What the fuck happened?' His voice was stern, but full of concern.

Her eyes were still squinting from the light, but she managed to make out the features of his face: his rough stubble, the dimples in his cheeks, his deep, dark eyes.

'I...I'm so sorry.' Audrey whispered, tears welling in her eyes. She blinked, causing the tears to roll down her cheeks and wet her eyelashes. She kept her gaze to the floor, not wanting him to see her cry.

Negan sighed heavily and pressed his lips together. He released her arm and turned to his men. 'As you were.' He grunted, waving them away.

Negan's eyes focused back on Audrey who was covering her face with her hands. He noticed the blood on her knuckles, and the jagged strands of hair which touched her shoulders. He slowly shook his head and pulled her into a hug.

'Come on.' Negan soothed, stroking her head as she sobbed into his shirt. He rested his chin on her head and gently rocked her, 'Come on, come with me.' He grabbed her face and wiped her eyes with his thumbs. Kissing her tenderly on the lips, he saw her crack a smile.

Audrey sniffed and grabbed Negan's hand as he led her out of the lock-up.

They arrived at his room, and as they entered, Negan grabbed a chair from the table in the corner and set it in the middle of the room.

'Sit.' He demanded, fiddling around with a box under his bed.

Audrey quietly closed his door and perched on the wooden chair. She dug her nails into her knees, she felt pretty pathetic about all this. She thought she looked ridiculous and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

'So-' Negan began, 'Are you gonna tell me the whole goddamn story?'

Negan had lifted a large box onto his bed and pulled out a pair of scissors and a comb. Audrey didn't turn round to watch him, she kept her eyes on the floor.

'I'm sorry.' Audrey repeated. She felt Negan approach her from behind, and he gently lifted her head up so he could look at her hair properly. His fingers ran through her hair.

'Listen darlin', I know you're fuckin' sorry.' Negan pulled the comb through her hair, 'I just wanna know why you fuckin' beat Carmel close to death. She almost choked on her goddamn teeth, Audrey.'

Being reminded of those grisly details made Audrey take a deep breath. She felt her eyes becoming moist again, 'She overstepped the line.' exhaling, Audrey's chest rattled, 'She cut my hair whilst I slept, tied up Pablo, found that note you wrote to me. She said you were too good for me. She's right. I'm just so sorry, it had been building up for a long time, she made me so angry.'

Negan gave an amused grunt, 'I'm too fuckin' good for you?' He ran the comb through her hair again, 'That's funny.' Negan laughed, trying to keep his hand steady as he snipped the ends of Audrey's hair.

'Why is it funny?' Audrey asked, keeping her head as still as she could.

'Well, for one, _you're_ too good for _me_. I'm a fuckin' wreck and you just…' He paused as a grin spread across his face, '...you make me fuckin' happy whenever I'm around you. One of my fuckin' wives' faces had just been rearranged, and all I could think of, is if you were safe.'

Audrey smiled and Negan had finished with the scissors. He gently massaged her shoulders, rubbing her thumbs on the nape of her neck.

'You ready to see?'

'Yep!'

Negan grabbed a small mirror from his side table and held it in front of Audrey. Her mouth dropped in awe. It wasn't a professional job, but it looked a hell of a lot better than it did, and a whole lot neater. It resembled a long bob, and she quite liked the way it framed her face.

'Fuckin' beautiful.' Negan smirked, leaning down and kissing her. Audrey stood up and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his.

'Thanks.' Audrey whispered, 'Didn't know you were good with hair.'

'I'm fucking not! I just cut in a straight line!'

'It's still good though, thank you.'

Negan curled his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, 'Anytime.' He smiled, 'Wanna see something cool?'

Negan led her to the rooftop of the factory. All that was up there was a couple of wooden chairs and a few pebbles scattered on the floor. It was pretty grey and dismal, but it's altitude allowed you to see for miles. 'This is one of my favourite fuckin' places.' Negan chimed, extending his arms and showing Audrey the surrounding area.

Audrey stayed silent and followed Negan, who ushered her to sit on a chair beside him. Negan bent down and picked up a small stone, and lobbed it. The stone fell and hit a walker on the head at the outskirts of the courtyard. He smirked and turned his head to look at Audrey who had her head down and was twiddling her thumbs.

'If I was gonna fucking punish you, I would've done it by now.' Negan spoke, not averting his gaze from her hands, 'Why are you so nervous? Do...I scare you?' Negan's voice broke as he said the last few words.

'No.' Audrey muttered, 'I scared myself. I've never been in a fight before.'

'Well you can cross that shit off your bucket list now, darlin'!'

'Aren't you even a little angry about what I did to Carmel?'

Negan brushed his stubble with one hand and sighed, 'Course I'm fuckin' concerned if she's gonna be able to eat solids again, but…' he paused, and reached out to grab Audrey's hand, 'I heard what she did. Fuck, if someone fucked with my hair while I slept, I would've done the same fuckin' thing, except I probably wouldn't leave 'em breathing.'

Audrey took a deep breath and seemed to calm down. She picked up a pebble and threw it hard. She didn't get as far as Negan did, but was pretty close.

'Do you love her?'

Negan gave a short chuckle and shook his head, 'What do _you_ think?'

Audrey sat back down and leaned back in her chair, looking straight up into the sky, 'Well, she's...you know.' She waved an hourglass shape with her hands, then circled a hand around her face.

Negan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, baffled at the shapes Audrey was throwing into the air. He rested his chin on a clenched fist as he watched her continue the charade.

'She has the blonde hair, the pretty face, the super slim figure. I see the way the other guys in here look at her, including you.'

Negan sighed, 'Yeah, she's fuckin' hot, I'll give her that.'

'Then why me?' Audrey asked, her eyes wide with a mixture of forlornness and fear.

Negan stood and walked towards the edge of the roof, his hands stuffed inside his jacket pockets. He paced around for a few seconds before he turned his heels and faced Audrey again. He rocked on the spot and took another deep breath.

'What is your fuckin' problem?'

'E-excuse me?' Audrey gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth.

Negan came close to Audrey, and stood above her, so close that their knees were touching. He leaned down and supported himself with the back of her chair. Their noses were inches away and Negan gave one of his signature smiles.

'Would you believe me when I fuckin' say that I don't know why it's you?'

Audrey narrowed her eyes and gave a slow, suspicious nod.

'I have no fuckin' idea why it's you. It's always been you, ever since I fuckin' stole you from Alexandria.'

'I chose to come here.'

'Trust me, you would've been coming here regardless.'

Audrey blushed and the sides of her mouth curled into a dimpled smile. Negan lifted her chin and kissed her gently. He grabbed the other chair and sat opposite her, holding her hands.

'I really don't have a clear fuckin' answer. All I know is that you need to cut out that bullshit about you being fuckin' hideous or something.'

Audrey's hands tightened around his. Negan's hands were much bigger than hers, and she felt the slight roughness on his palms and fingertips.

'We've been over this. In my eyes, you're fuckin' amazing.' Negan gave a snigger, 'I'm shit at showing my goddamn feelings, you know this. But something about you makes me want more, I don't fucking know what it is. Something about you really excites me, I don't know what the fuck that is either. Shit, you're all I can think about most of the time. Yeah, Carmel is hot, I'm not gonna fucking lie about that shit, but you...you're something else. You're all I want.'

'Negan…' Audrey's heart pounded.

'And the answer is no, I don't fuckin' love her. If I did, she'd be my only fuckin' wife, wouldn't she?'

Audrey rose from her seat and walked towards the edge of the roof. She looked over at the empty courtyard, and down towards her watchtower. It was empty - she was supposed to be on shift right now. Audrey rubbed her arm and saw a couple of walkers in the far distance, wobbling towards the guarded perimeter fence.

Negan appeared behind her, and slid his arms around her waist. He laid his chin on her shoulder and didn't say anything. Audrey could feel his warm breath against her neck and she brushed her hands over his around her waist.

'Don't think I've forgotten about yesterday.' Negan growled in her ear and pulled her tighter.

'How can I?' Audrey smiled.

Negan kissed her on the cheek, 'Wanna watch Pretty Woman?'

'Fuck, no.' Audrey laughed, 'I saw Dawn of the Dead in there.'

'Old one or new one?'

'Old one.'

'Bit fuckin' ironic to be watching that, right?'

Audrey laughed and rolled her eyes, 'Exactly.'

Negan gave a long kiss on her neck, and released his grip, 'Right, let's go.'

Guns fired as zombies staggered across the screen. The heroes were trying to escape the undead, but their efforts were mostly futile. Audrey was sat, cross-legged on the end of Negan's bed, with a hand covering her mouth.

'You're not fuckin' scared are you?' Negan laughed, reclined in bed.

'No, they just freak me out.'

'The walkers?'

'Yeah.'

'Aww, you pussy.' Negan chuckled again, nudging her leg with his foot. With that movement, he made Audrey jump out of her skin. This only made him more amused, 'Jesus, I think we need to turn this shit off.'

'You dick, you scared me!' Audrey turned her head to look at Negan who only winked in response. Audrey crawled along the bed and rested alongside Negan, putting her head on his chest, 'I'm gonna find out what you're afraid of.'

'Good fucking luck.' Negan grinned, focusing on the bloodied bodies on the TV.

'Surely you must be scared of something?' Audrey looked up at him and ran her fingers in a circle on his chest. His leather jacket was hanging on the back of the door, and she was tempted to make him wear it again, but he looked equally sexy with his t-shirt on. He always smelt so good, and she buried her head in the crook of his neck. Audrey inhaled deeply and kissed up his neck, and behind his ear. She placed small kisses along his rugged jawline until her lips locked with his.

'I'm not scared of shit.' Negan's words were muffled between kisses, 'Apart from losing you.'

Audrey laughed against his mouth, 'You pussy.'

Negan grabbed her hips and shifted her, so he was now leaning over her. He placed his knee in between her legs and he lifted her shirt over her head. Audrey did the same, and removed his shirt, revealing a chest full of hair, and more tattoos. As Negan ran his teeth along her neck, she moaned deeply.

After unbuttoning and unbuckling, they were soon both down to their underwear. Negan remained above her, kissing down her neckline, over her collarbone and onto her plump breasts. His kisses didn't stop there, his lips wandered lower and lower, over the soft curve of her stomach and towards her pantyline. With one smooth movement, Negan had removed her panties and examined her carefully. Running his hand through his hair, he said, 'Ah, hold these.'

Audrey was handed her knees, and she kept a tight hold with a lustful curiosity. Her eyes widened and a short squeal escaped her lips as Negan proceeded.

The night came quickly, and both bodies were glistened with sweat. Negan panted over her, Audrey's legs wrapped around his waist. Negan collapsed into bed next to her, a grin on his face.

'That...that was…fuckin'-' Negan breathed.

Audrey clumsily placed a finger on his lips, 'Shh, don't spoil it.' She felt him laugh against her hand. She rolled over and pressed her lips on his, giving him a series of soft kisses. Negan's eyes looked back at her, and she felt her stomach flip as she was sucked into his dark gaze.

'You're so fuckin' beautiful.' Negan smiled, stroking her cheek.

Although her face was flushed, and her hair a mess, Audrey finally believed him. With a smile, she placed her head back on his chest and they both fell asleep in an exhausted embrace.


	16. Chapter 16 - Red Wine

The crisp winter chill was particularly bitey that morning. The sky was a slurry of pinks and purples as the sun rose behind a dense fog. Audrey opened her eyes and realised she was still in Negan's room. She felt his warmth behind her, and she just melted back into bed. Her movement had stirred him, and he draped his arm over her waist.

'You're still here?' he said in a tired, husky voice.

Audrey turned herself around to face him and she saw him grinning.

'Only joking baby.' Negan sat himself up and stretched out his arms. He managed to heave himself out of bed and into the bathroom.

Audrey spread her arms out on the bed and yawned. She knew she was probably due to be on shift, but all she wanted to do was stay here with Negan.

Negan emerged from the bathroom, a towel around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth. 'What do you wanna do today?' He said, muffled by the brushing.

'I don't know.' Audrey sat up, and covered her naked breasts with the bed covers, 'What were your plans?'

'Well, you know that stuff we picked up from the village up north?'

Audrey nodded as Negan entered the bathroom again. There was a sound of running water and a spitting noise. Shortly, he came back out with a large grin.

'The stuff they gave us is gonna let us harvest our own fish, I have no fuckin' idea if it's gonna work. However…' Negan climbed onto the bed and pinned Audrey down, holding down her wrists above her head. He brought his face close to hers, '...later I was thinking of holding a celebratory get-together. A few of us, and a few of those people from that village.' Negan pressed his lips against Audrey's and held them there for a few seconds longer than usual.

'Is that wise?' Audrey raised an eyebrow, 'They could kill you.'

Negan chuckled and scooped an arm under Audrey's waist, and pulled her into a hug. Audrey rested her head on his shoulder. 'See, this is why…'

Negan paused and ran a hand down her back, 'You're always thinking ahead.' He pulled back and looked into her eyes, 'But I'm safe, trust me. I'm fuckin' Negan.'

Behind the Sanctuary, there was a secluded fenced-off area with two large tanks, fitted with various pipes, pumps and whatnots. Inside the tanks were several fish, all of various different sizes. Audrey was watching them intently, wishing there was a quaint park bench for her to sit on whilst she observed. Negan was off to the left, talking technical mumbo-jumbo with Dwight and other goons, the only word she could pick up on was farm. The tanks made weird blubbing noises as the pipes sucked water in and out. Audrey tilted her head, mesmerised by the ripples in the water. How it was all being powered, she had no clue, but Negan always found a way.

Dwight came and stood beside Audrey, he placed his hands on his hips, 'I see Negan brought you along.'

Audrey frowned, 'And?'

'People are talking. He's been in a better mood since you came, he's not laid a finger on his wives, it's not good, and it's all because of you.'

'Is that such a bad thing?'

'Yes and no.' Dwight coughed into his hand, 'The Saviours think he's going soft for some piece of ass - that being you. So they're stepping out of line, pushing their luck to see how they far they can get before being punished. Since you came along...the men have gotten away with quite a fair bit.'

Audrey looked at Dwight, and focused on the ugly scar on the side of his face. He was living proof that Negan didn't fuck around, and kept a tight ship. She wondered what Dwight must've done to deserve that, as she thought it must've been pretty severe. Audrey hadn't heard of Negan punishing any of his men like that since she'd been at the Sanctuary. _Maybe I am a distraction?_

'Negan needs to be fucking careful.' Dwight smirked, 'Someone could revolt and take this place.' With that, Dwight left Audrey's side and returned to Negan as if their conversation never happened.

A few more minutes passed and Audrey heard a short whistle, Negan was signalling her to return back inside. She walked next to him and looked up. He was dressed in his full gear: Lucille on the shoulder, leather jacket, red scarf, boots, and signature smile. Audrey always felt underdressed next to him.

They were both walking behind a line of his men, and Negan sneakily grabbed Audrey's hand and entwined his fingers with hers. It was a small gesture, but it flooded Audrey's heart with joy and she looked up at him and grinned - and of course he was smiling back. However, there was that small niggling voice in the back of her head, _you're making him lose his focus, he's gonna get hurt!_

The group arrived at the front courtyard where they were greeted by a few of the survivors from the village near the river. They didn't have a name, but Audrey decided to call it the River Village. They looked unarmed, but Negan's men carried guns as a precaution. His goons formed a semicircle around the new arrivals, and Negan walked into the middle of it, Lucille swinging by his thigh. Audrey stayed mingled with the goons.

'Gentlemen.' Negan began, 'I have a proposition.'

The leader from the village stood forward, 'Let's hear it.'

Negan grinned and swung Lucille back onto his shoulder, 'How about you fine fucks join the Saviours?'

The leader stuttered, 'I-I don't think we'd want to.' He was an S-shaped elderly man, balding, with an unsteady hand. He looked very wise, but couldn't defend himself from a falling leaf.

'Shit, Benny, c'mon man.' Negan walked closer to the old man and hovered over him, 'I wouldn't want some fuckin' small thing like this ruin our friendship.'

Suddenly, from the group of new arrivals came a bold voice, 'You leave him alone!' A tall, fierce man - no older than 20 - came charging at Negan.

Audrey shifted in her spot, her hand brushing against the gun in her belt. The kid got closer and closer. Negan tightened his hand on Lucille. Audrey spotted the flash of metal in the kid's belt, and she couldn't take it anymore. She shoved through the line of goons, and ran in front of Negan, holding up her handgun at the kid's face who suddenly came to a screeching stop. The kid's nose almost touched the barrel of Audrey's gun. She didn't say anything, but glared at the young man who gave her a deathly stare through his long, ginger fringe.

'Jonah!' Benny called out, holding his chest. 'Don't frighten me like that!' The old man grabbed the young Jonah by the arm - and despite his fragile appearance - was able to drag him all the way back to the gates.

Audrey hadn't lowered her gun, mostly because she was uncomfortable with the whole situation. It was too volatile. She kept her gaze on the red-head.

'You sure you wanna welcome them with open fucking arms?' Audrey muttered to Negan, who was stood firmly behind her. She spoke quietly so no-one could hear them both.

'That kid almost has as much spunk as you. He's exactly what we need.'

'I don't like it.'

'Well, pardon _me_ , you're not the fuckin' boss, darlin'.'

Audrey kept her arm straight, but turned her head to look at Negan, who by now was smiling like a cheshire cat, 'Not yet.'

Negan raised his eyebrows and puffed his cheeks out, 'Shit, you're in deep fuckin' trouble tonight.'

The flirtatious exchange was interrupted by Benny. He had returned from his talk with Jonah. 'Please, pay no mind to my grandson. He's been through a lot.'

Negan tapped Audrey on the shoulder, 'I got it, darlin'.' Audrey took a step aside, and sheathed her gun back in her holster.

Negan lightly tapped Lucille against his calf, 'We've all been through shit. What makes you think I should let you return through those fucking gates alive?'

Benny took a shaky glance behind him, 'We can come to some sort of agreement, I'm sure.'

Negan chuckled and pat Benny on the back, 'I'm sure we fucking can, old man! Come inside, have a drink.'

The canteen tables had been pushed to the edge of the room, and a slight effort had been made to clean and decorate the place. It looked like the setting for a morbid school disco. Various beers and wines sat in the middle of the room on a solitary metal table and a crackly music player spurted out some mellow tunes. The room slowly filled with a mixture of Negan's best goons, Dwight, Carmel, Benny, Jonah and various other members of the other village.

Dwight was hanging around the beverage table, sifting through the bottles of wine and chatting with Carmel. Audrey noticed they were both smiling at each other, and that Carmel was being very touchy-feely with Dwight too. Her face was still purple with bruises and she was stitched up around her lip and eyebrow, but she could walk and talk nonetheless. Audrey was torn in two whether she was relieved, or saddened by this.

Negan strode over to the table and picked up a bottle of beer, cracking open the top with the dented end of Lucille. He took a large swig and smacked his lips together once finished. He noticed everyone was just stood around, 'Help your fucking selves!'

Audrey saw that Negan winked at her before he took another drink. As everyone grabbed a drink, Negan casually walked past Audrey and whispered in her ear, 'Big trouble.' he cupped her behind and squeezed, causing Audrey to gasp. She could only look on as he continued towards Benny.

Benny was choosing between the wines. He was picking them up and reading the label.

'They're all the fucking same.' Negan laughed, 'All wine tastes the same to me.'

'Now, it takes a refined palette to distinguish the flavour!' Benny glanced over another dusty bottle.

As Audrey approached the table and grabbed a wine glass, Carmel appeared from round the table.

'You think you deserve some wine?' She smirked, her arm linked around Dwight's. They both looked quite on edge.

'You're brave.' Audrey huffed, trying to get past the blonde to reach a bottle. Exasperated, Audrey rolled her eyes at Dwight, 'Help me out here?'

Dwight sighed and nudged Carmel with his elbow. Automatically, she reached for a bottle and held it up to Audrey, 'We recommend this one, it's really good.' Her lips curled into a bruised smile.

Audrey hesitated, but she wasn't quick enough. The bottle was taken by Benny and he scanned the label.

'Aha! This is an amazing brand!' Benny surprisingly popped the cork with ease, considering he had arthritic fingers.

As the old man fondled the bottle and poured the contents into a glass, Audrey saw Dwight and Carmel freeze.

'What's wrong?' Audrey questioned, watching them slowly slink away from everyone else, her eyes narrowed in curiosity.

'I just don't feel safe around you. We'll keep our distance' Carmel clung close to Dwight. They stood away from the crowd of men, both their eyes fixed on Benny. _Weird._

The red wine filled Benny's glass and he gave a small swirl of the glass before sniffing it. He turned to Negan and gave a hearty chuckle. 'This is a fine specimen! Just like your wife!' Benny playfully tapped Negan on the arm and motioned at Audrey.

Negan looked up at Audrey who was awkwardly stood there, unsure of what to think. 'She's not my wife.' He spoke, getting ever more concerned about what was running through Audrey's mind.

'Well, you'd be a fool not to marry this one!' Benny laughed, smelling the wine again. He looked around the room and saw everyone at ease, but Jonah was stood leant against the wall with his arms crossed. His grandson wasn't a drinker, but was terrible at parties too. He was the type of kid who'd rather spend all day killing people on video games for fun. When the apocalypse came about, he was able to try it out for real - giving Benny some comfort in knowing he had that protection.

'She has such a pretty face, and those child-bearing hips.' Benny was giddy from the smell of wine, and the glass shook in his elderly grip.

Audrey looked over at Negan, oblivious at what Benny was saying about her, and smiled. Her hair brushed over her cute dimples. Negan grinned back.

'You got kids?' Benny asked.

'Me? N-no.' Negan was slightly distracted, so he stumbled over his words - something which he rarely did.

'I had one son, Jonah's father. Best kid you could ask for. Sacrificed his life to save Jonah when those walking dead came along. May I ask why you don't have kids? Apologies for assuming, but I thought for someone your age, you'd be married and settled down by now.'

'I just…' Negan kept his gaze on Audrey. She was stood smiling at him, her face radiant in the bleak, gray surroundings. He felt a warmth inside which hadn't felt in a long time.

Benny took a gulp of the wine and continued to chortle along with his remarks, 'You look a tad distant there, Negan.'

Negan shook himself out of his stupor and focused back on the short, old man. 'You're fuckin' right. Everything you said just then, you're fuckin' right.' Negan had barely any idea what Benny had been saying to him, everything had faded into the background when he looked at Audrey.

Audrey approached Negan and Benny, and poured herself a glass of the same red wine. She sniffed the glass, something she saw the old man do, and figured it made her look like she had an inch of knowledge about wine. Benny gently nudged Audrey.

'I think I've talked the man into considering marriage, my dear girl.'

Audrey's eyes widened and she glared at Negan, 'I don't believe in marriage.'

Negan responded by raising an eyebrow, 'I never said a fuckin' thing, Aud, he's drunk or something.' Negan's cheeks were a hint of red, Audrey had never seen him blush before which made her giggle against the glass.

'And what the fuck do you mean you don't believe in marriage?' Negan laughed, puzzled at her statement.

'I just don't see the point.' Audrey grinned, 'I could change my opinion though.' Audrey and Negan locked onto each other, their eyes never moving from each other's.

All of a sudden, Benny started to cough and held his chest. His eyes started to bulge out the sockets, and his face turned bright purple.

'Fuck, Audrey!' Negan, without a second thought, slapped the glass from Audrey's hand, sending it onto the floor as it smashed into pieces. The sound of the impact made everyone pay attention and gather around. Jonah raced over to his grandfather, but it was too late.

Benny writhed on the floor, his hands around his neck, struggling for breath. Foam spluttered from his mouth until he stopped, and remained lifeless on the floor. His peachy elderly skin had seemed to turn the same grey as the floor.

'What the fuck!' Jonah screamed, placing an ear to his grandfather's chest, only to realise he was dead, 'You've killed him!'

Negan looked at the smashed glass on the floor, then back at Audrey. His breathing became rapid and his eyes wide with anger, 'Who the _fuck_ did this?' He paced around the room, the silence allowed his boots to echo around the room, 'Which motherfucker tried to kill us? WHO?'

Audrey tried to stay calm, she was on the brink of death and she didn't even know it. Something twigged in her head, and she glanced over at Carmel and Dwight. They looked terrified.

Negan continued bellowing at the top of his voice, causing veins to pop out on his neck.

Suddenly, 'They brought the wine in.' Dwight was pointing at a random goon, who at that moment, almost shit his pants.

'Well.' Negan grunted, 'Is that fucking right?'

The goon was frozen in place, not knowing what to do or say - a rabbit caught in headlights. He raised his hands, 'I-I didn't kill him, I swear! I don't know what happened! He could've had a heart attack!'

'Bullshit!' Negan yelled, 'That's no fucking heart attack, that's motherfucking poison!' He picked up Lucille and stormed up to the goon. 'Fucking poison!'

The goon's knees buckled from fear and he fell into a kneeling position. Negan finally reached him and lifted Lucille above his head, 'You could've fucking killed her!'

There was a sickening crack as the bat struck the goon on the head, again and again and again. Audrey covered her mouth and turned away, the recent events have made her feel queasy and she was second guessing herself again. _Maybe it was a good thing Negan was softening up, this Negan is intense_.

Audrey held her stomach and left the room, she took a gasp of breath in a corridor and leant against the wall. She leaned down, allowing her hair to cover her face, and heaved. She almost died. _I almost died_.

Negan soon appeared in the corridor, blood spattered up his shirt and face. Audrey couldn't look at him for long, the sight of the blood made her remember Benny choking on his own saliva.

'Are you okay? Did you drink any?' Negan asked, trying to catch his breath. His face didn't look as angry or animalistic - it was full of concern. He grabbed her shoulders and lifted up her face, trying to look into her pupils for signs of poisoning.

'I didn't drink it.' Audrey whispered, feeling herself swaying. Her head spun and an unpleasant feeling rose in her chest. Suddenly, she fell.

Negan caught her before she hit the floor and frantically yelled to his men for help. He wiped hair away from Audrey's clammy face, and pressed a finger to her neck. _Still alive_. Negan kept a tight hold as he shouted for help again, Audrey's eyelashes not flickering with consciousness.


	17. Chapter 17 - What If?

**Hope you guys had a good Christmas/New Year! More coming soon!**

Audrey was lying on a hospital bed, on top of a thin white sheet. She had only been there an hour and she began to stir, her fingers twitched.

Negan was sat beside her, his head in his hands. He was still stained with blood.

'Negan?' Audrey spoke, her voice only a whisper.

'Audrey?' Negan stood up and stroked her head, he placed a kiss on her forehead.

Audrey's eyes flickered open and the first thing she saw was Negan's face. She smiled and a small sigh came from her lips.

'How long have I been here?'

'Only an hour.' Negan chuckled, relieved that she was okay; he continued stroking her hair.

'What about Benny?'

Negan's face darkened and he lowered his head, 'Dead as fuck.'

Audrey slowly sat up and Negan helped her. 'I'm sorry, I've never really fainted before.'

'Well you scared the shit outta me. Thought you had been poisoned too! I nearly fucking fainted myself!'

Audrey gave a small smile and ran her hand along his scratchy jawline. Negan's eyes twinkled as he leaned in to give her a tender kiss.

Just then, a lanky man with dark circles under his eyes entered the room. He carried a clipboard and wore a long white coat. Negan pulled away from Audrey.

'What's up Doc'?'

The tall man approached Audrey's bed and flicked through the pages on his clipboard, 'Audrey?'

'Yeah?' Audrey focused on the doctor, 'Am I okay?'

'Yeah, you're perfectly fine.' The doctor furrowed his brow and slipped his hand into his large coat pocket, pulling out a small box, 'Just one more thing.'

The box was handed to Audrey, and she examined it - looking like she was going to faint again. 'A pregnancy test!?'

'Well…' The doctor looked nervously at Negan, who was staring back with furious eyes, '...I-I have reason to believe you're sexually active. It's just a precaution.'

'But I'm not-' Audrey began.

'Just a precaution.' The doctor cut in, giving a little cough and heading towards the door. 'Make sure you get it right first time, we have very few of those left.' He closed the door behind him.

Audrey was staring at the box with shaky hands. _I can't be...not yet._

Negan was sat there in silence also, reality finally dawning on him that they hadn't used any protection during their...encounters. In a sense, he had began to curse himself for being so stupid.

'Fuck.' Negan breathed, finally looking up at Audrey who looked pale as porcelain.

'What if…' Audrey looked at Negan.

'Fuck.' Negan put his head in his hands.

Hesitantly, Audrey got off the bed and walked into the small washroom.

Negan threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut, 'Shit!' He got up off the chair and paced around the room, 'The fuck am I gonna do?'

Audrey soon came out the washroom and placed the test on the side table next to the bed. 'It'll take a few minutes.'

Negan was still pacing, and this made Audrey nervous. She approached him and grabbed his hand, 'Are you okay?'

'Fuck, no Audrey. What if you are?'

Audrey paused and stroked his hand with her thumb, 'Is it so bad if I am?'

'I'm not ready for shit like this.'

'Have you ever thought about having kids?'

Negan sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, Audrey followed and perched beside him. He took the deepest sigh Audrey had ever heard.

'I did. Once.' Negan rubbed his forehead, clearly stressed, 'My ex-wife, Lucille. We tried, but it never happened. Then she got ill and…'

'Your ex-wife?'

'It was before all this shit. Before the world fucked up.'

A tear rolled down Audrey's cheek, 'I'm so sorry.' The stress of the situation and recent events had gotten too much for her.

Negan noticed her sniffling beside him, and he pulled Audrey into a tight hug, 'Listen, whatever the fuck happens, happens. I'm sure as shit that we've been through worse.' He stroked the back of her head, 'It's not like I can be a fucking deadbeat dad, where am I gonna run to?' He gave a small snigger, 'I would never pull that shit anyway.'

Audrey wiped her eyes and composed herself, 'I better go check.'

The small, white stick lay face down on the table. It was bizarre how such a tiny thing could have such a massive impact on Audrey's life. With a shaky hand, Audrey picked it up. Negan hugged her from behind, trying his hardest not to show his fear.

'It's…'

Flipping the test over seemed to take forever, it was as if everything was going in slow motion: their breathing, the footsteps outside, the sound of engines in the courtyard. Audrey thought about the future, what if she _was_ pregnant? Would they still be able to conceal their flings, or would they have to come clean to everyone? What would happen to his wives?

In a way, Audrey hoped she was. She could envision herself and Negan playing with a couple of their own children, teaching them right from wrong, keeping them safe and watching them grow. In her mind, Negan would make a great father, he was so very caring and tender when the situation called for it. Audrey was thankful that she didn't have any children with Kyle, although they had intended to start their own family eventually. She was glad that she didn't have any ties to her painful past with him, but was also felt a slight emptiness when all her friends started their own families, bought their own homes, and got married.

Audrey's mind was too fuzzy with emotion, and had to squint to see the test clearly. Her heart raced as she realised the result.

'Negative.' She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and so did Negan, but a part of her was devastated. _Would a baby have complicated things too much?_

The mixture of shock and relief at the result caused Audrey to collapse into a fit of sobs. She kneeled on the floor and Negan wrapped his arms around her.

'Shit, you okay?' Negan's eyes were full of concern.

'I'm so happy.' Audrey choked between cries.

Negan didn't know whether to laugh or cry himself, he was stuck in limbo with a baffled expression on his face. He was neutral about the situation, he would've handled it whether Audrey was pregnant or not, but he was just glad he didn't have to deal with it right now. The negative test brought back dark memories of his attempts with Lucille. Negan pulled Audrey up onto the bed and kissed her forehead. 'You need some more fucking sleep, you've lost your mind.' He brushed hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. 'Let's go back to my room, I'll run you a bath.'


	18. Chapter 18-Guns Are The New Dollar Bills

Safe to say, the chance of recruiting the survivors of the River village was very slim after Benny died. Jonah had returned to the village, rightfully taking the place of leader. As an act of goodwill, Negan had decided not to collect resources from the village for a couple of weeks, he didn't show it, but he was quite fond of Benny.

Negan and Audrey had been spending more and more time together, and people started to talk within the Sanctuary. He'd become very protective of her, and preferred it if she accompanied him whenever she could. Audrey was still doing shifts in the watchtowers, her marksmanship was still a vital part of the Sanctuary's protection. More often than not, Negan would come and sit with her a while and talk about nonsense. Even though they were spending almost all day with each other, they weren't an official couple, that was too dangerous. Of course, gossip spread about them, especially between the wives who hadn't had a visit from Negan since Audrey came along.

Carmel was especially bitter, as she used to be the one by his side. However, she wasn't the only one - Dwight was also tired of Negan running the show. With some conniving and plotting against Negan and Audrey, it had brought the two dysfunctional beings together.

It had been a couple of weeks since their scare, and both Negan and Audrey hadn't dared touch each other since. Audrey was out the back of the Sanctuary, watching the fish swim around in the tanks. There were fewer fish than last time, and Audrey raised an eyebrow. Negan was stood next to her, hand on hips and peering into the water.

'Not going well, huh?' Audrey pressed her lips together and scanned the water, as the sickly fish wiggled around.

'Nope!' Negan sighed, scratching his head, 'Need some fuckin'...special shit. I don't know.'

'Why don't we just fish?'

Negan laughed, 'You see any rivers nearby, darlin'?'

'I'm sure we'll find one.'

'Do you even know how to fish?' Negan stood close to Audrey, but couldn't touch her or hold her hand as his men were nearby.

'Not really, my dad let me hold his pole once or twice.'

'Jesus christ, Audrey, careful how you fuckin' word that!' Negan gave a hearty laugh and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently rubbing it with his thumb. He lowered his voice to a grumbly whisper, 'You know this is fucking killing me?

Audrey looked up at him with her large, blue eyes, 'What is?'

Negan gave a short glance at his men, then focused back on Audrey, 'This whole, fuckin', no sex thing.'

Audrey gave a sweet smile and looked up at him, melting at the sight of his wide grin. She shrugged her shoulders, 'Well, we can't take that risk.'

'Oh come on, we can be extra careful.' Negan raised his eyebrows to hint at contraception, although he was much older than Audrey, he still got slightly embarrassed when saying the word "condom".

'There's very little contraception in supply. It won't last forever, you know it has an expiration date?'

'Shh.' Negan looked back towards his men, who are clueless to the conversation taking place, 'We'll figure something out, trust me.'

Audrey stood closer to Negan, their chests almost touching. She looked up at him, then peeked around him at the goons - still completely oblivious. Audrey found it very endearing that Negan became flustered when speaking about contraception. He had that innocent look in his eyes, which softened his face. As he peered down at her, she couldn't stop her heart from racing.

'I hope we do figure something out soon.' Audrey bit her bottom lip and traced her fingers down Negan's abdomen, their bodies were still close to each other to conceal any movement. Her fingers met the belt of his pants, and she curled her fingers over the top.

'Audrey, what're you-' Negan's eyes grew wide as he felt Audrey pulling him closer to her by his belt. He noticed that Audrey hadn't broken eye contact whilst doing this. In a twisted way, he was enjoying it more than he let on.

Audrey's hand brushed over his belt, and skimmed over the front of his pants, causing Negan to open his mouth slightly. No sound came from him, but his breathing quickened and he closed his eyes. Audrey's hand massaged below his belt, and noticed that Negan started to tense up. He clenched his teeth and gently grabbed her wrist.

'Fuck.' He breathed, 'Audrey, I have shit to do.' He smirked, nodding his head towards the group of goons which stood waiting for him.

'Sorry, boss.' Audrey winked, sending Negan crazy.

'You are seriously fuckin' evil, you know that?' Negan held Audrey's hand and entwined his fingers with hers. 'You gotta stay there a minute.'

'Why?' Audrey raised an eyebrow. Negan moved his eyes downwards to gesture Audrey to look at his pants. 'Oh wow, you sure you only need a minute?'

'Just gotta fuckin' think of Dwight in a bikini or some shit.'

'Careful, you'll get yourself more excited.'

'Fuck you.' Negan laughed, giving her a playful nudge.

Once the thrill had died down, Negan and his men entered the Sanctuary. Audrey tagged along at the back of the group. They were planning on going back to the River village to pick up some more gear for the fish, Negan had brought along Lucille...just in case.

They ventured up to the third storey, and onto the balcony which overlooked the factory floor, filled with busy, tired workers. On the balcony stood Carmel with the rest of Negan's wives. She was stood with her hands firmly on her hips.

'The fuck is wrong?' Negan sighed, wanting them to move aside so he could venture to his armoury to equip his men.

'We've had enough.'

Negan pinched between his eyes and grunted, 'Move, Carmel.'

'You've not visited us in months!' She screamed, causing the workers to stop and look up at the commotion.

'Carmel, I swear to fuckin' christ…'

'What's wrong with you? Your dick not working anymore? Or is it her?' Carmel pointed a long fingernail at the group of goons. Audrey popped her head from behind the group. 'We all know you're there, bitch. Come out.'

Audrey shuffled out from the group and stood beside Negan whose face was becoming red with rage. Carmel teetered towards Audrey and looked her up and down.

'Word travels fast in this place.' She flicked her hair and ran a tongue across her teeth, however, there were a few gaps from when Audrey had knocked them out. 'A little fucking bird tells me that you've been manipulating Negan. He's gone soft because of you.'

'Soft?' Negan barked, tightening his grip on Lucille.

'Yeah, think about it.' Carmel turned and walked back towards the group of wives. 'She shows up, we're pretty much redundant, and everything turns to shit here.'

'The fuck're you on about?' Negan shook his head.

'Since she's been here, food rationing has decreased because of that fatass and her mutt, people have been getting away with stealing shit, and most importantly - the amount of guns we're turning in are at an all time low.' Carmel gave a shrill laugh, 'Guns are the new dollar bills, baby!'

Negan gave a deep sigh, he knew she was talking a little sense, but the Sanctuary hadn't crumbled since Audrey came. Food resources had dropped slightly, but security, well being and productivity had increased. Without Negan ruling with a titanium fist, bashing in every head which stepped out of line, workers had found themselves able to breathe easy and not dwell every waking second.

'We must have more guns than the fucking military, Carmel. Get the fuck outta the way.'

Carmel didn't move, and instead extended her arms outwards, 'Admit it Negan. She's using you.'

'Using me for fucking what?' At this point, every worker had stopped and was watching the confrontation.

'She's waiting for her chance to strike. Once you're out of the picture, she'll call this place her own. She's fucking dangerous!'

'Enough, Carmel.' Audrey yelled, stepping in front of Negan, 'You're delusional.'

'Am I, Audrey? Admit that you're fucking him. You're turning him into your own personal puppet.'

'I…' Audrey lost her words.

'See? We're all fucking doomed!' Carmel's face twisted into a wild smile and tears welled in her eyes; she stepped towards Audrey, 'This bitch is gonna end us all!' Carmel smacked Audrey across the face, it was short and swift, barely enough time to anticipate it.

Negan gave a deep gasp and moved forwards to retaliate, but Audrey placed a hand on his chest to hold him back. She looked over her shoulder at him, a bright red mark on her cheek, and he eased up although his eyes were full of concern.

'Pussy.' Carmel spat at Audrey's feet and walked back over to the group of wives, her heels clicking with every step. 'Just like your father.'

Audrey suddenly reached for her handgun and pointed it at Carmel. The blonde didn't even flinch, but the wives behind her retreated behind a wall. She was left stood there on her own, her arms out wide.

'Go on, fucking shoot me.'

Audrey kept her breathing steady, but her hands were shaking. _How the fuck does she know my father?_

'Shoot me.' Carmel smirked.

'Why can't you just leave me the fuck alone?' Audrey cried, lining the aim to Carmel's head.

'Because you're no good for him. I'm his fucking wife. I should be by his side, not you!'

Audrey didn't take her eyes from Carmel, who by now had mascara running down her cheeks from her manic tears. There was only one thing running through Audrey's mind.

'How do you know my father?'

'I told you, honey. News travels fast. So shoot me, if your father did the same, perhaps he'd be here to see you fuck up your life just like he did.'

Audrey's pupils constricted and she dropped the gun. It hit the metal floor, sending the impact reverberating around the vast room. Carmel gave a giggle, and turned around to walk away.

Quickly, Audrey spun around and grabbed Lucille from Negan's hand. She charged towards Carmel, who by this point had heard the footsteps and turned towards Audrey. She only managed a half turn, as Audrey swung Lucille, hitting Carmel on the side of the head, breaking her jaw and sending her flying towards the railing. Carmel's body hit against the metal railing and she toppled over the edge, falling towards the factory floor with a sickening thud. Gasps and cries came from the workers.

Audrey stood there, breathing heavily and she hesitantly moved towards the railing, peering over the edge and seeing Carmel's crumpled body below. Negan ran to her and took Lucille from her, dropping the bat onto the floor. Audrey's eyes were glazed with rage, and Negan grabbed Audrey's shoulders.

'Audrey, are you okay?'

'How did she know my father?'

'I don't know, but I think you fucking killed her.' Negan glanced over the edge and gritted his teeth at the mess Carmel was in. He noticed the many eyes watching him, and he felt now was the time to set things straight. He rested both his hands on the railing and addressed the people below.

'Nothing like a fuckin' pantomime, eh?' Negan smirked, 'Whatever you fucking heard, I want you to forget every last fucking word, you hear? I'll tell you what the fucking dealeo is.' Negan looked at Audrey, who was recovering from her earlier outburst, she was meekly stepping away from the edge so the people below couldn't see her.

'I keep you fuckers alive, so I think that gives me the right to do whatever, and _whoever_ , I fucking please, right?' Negan cupped a hand against his ear, 'Right?'

A simultaneous, and scared "right" came from the crowd below.

'Now as you've fucking witnessed, Audrey here _is_ a dangerous fucking woman, so I would treat her with respect. No more complaining about her dog, no more fucking gossiping - shit - no more fucking _anything_ , unless I fucking approve, right?'

Another loud "right" came from below.

'And if any one of you motherfuckers so much as harms a hair on her fucking head, I'll get very fucking creative. I'll think of the most painful, sickest, motherfucking god-awful way to die, and that will be your special fucking ticket to hell, got it?'

Again, another "right" came from the people below, who by now were clinging to each other. Audrey was looking at Negan with a confused frown, her nose crinkled up. Negan just glanced back and winked at her.

The room of Negan's door was thrown open, and Negan and Audrey clambered inside, their arms wrapped around each other, their lips never separating. Negan managed to close the door with his foot, and his hands gripped Audrey's shirt, tearing it over her head. Audrey managed to throw Negan's shirt off and she ran her nails down his bare chest as he kissed her neck.

Negan pressed Audrey against a wall, continuing to nuzzle into her neck as his hands ran over her shoulders, bringing down her bra straps in the process. He lifted up one of her thighs and she wrapped the one leg around him as he slowly grinded himself against her.

Audrey used one hand to hold the back of his neck, the other still exploring his chest. She let out small gasps every time he used his teeth to gently bite the crook of her neck. Negan then kissed her deeply, wrapping one hand around her neck as his tongue moved against hers.

Audrey could feel the erection through his pants, rubbing against her sensitive area and it drove her wild. She pushed Negan away from her and led him to the armchair in the corner of the room, and pushed him down onto it. Slowly slipping out of her underwear, Audrey climbed onto Negan, kissing him with a dirty passion he'd never witnessed from her before. Audrey fiddled with Negan's belt buckle and they were soon both entwined in heated love. Negan was lost in the moment, slapping and groping her bare behind as she writhed on top of him, running her fingers through his hair and moaning towards the ceiling.

They both didn't stop until the sun rose and lit up the room, so they could see each other with glistening bodies and frazzled hair as they collapsed into bed with dazed smiles.


	19. Chapter 19 - Red Roses

Audrey's body shook itself awake from a bad dream. It was still dark outside, and Negan's arm was tightly wrapped around her. In the dim surroundings she was able to make out the furry shape of Pablo sleeping soundly in the corner. Realising she was safe, Audrey placed a hand on her forehead and rolled onto her back. Negan roused and curled his arm around her stomach before settling down again. Audrey moved her head to look at the man sleeping next to her. An overwhelming feeling of happiness washed over her. He looked so peaceful, his face so soft and naive, as if it wasn't roughened from years of survival. With the back of her hand, Audrey caressed his cheek. She felt the stubble against her skin, and smiled widely. There was this sudden urge that overcome her, she wanted to keep him safe - she couldn't bear thinking about what she would do if he got hurt. If it came to it, Audrey was almost certain she'd kill to keep him safe.

Negan stirred again in his sleep, but his eyes remained closed. He shifted his position so his head was resting against her shoulder, 'I love you.' He murmured, completely out of it.

Audrey froze. She lightly brushed his hair to see if he was awake, but he was in the deepest of sleep. She lay there, staring at the ceiling, wondering if he was perhaps dreaming of Lucille? _What if he meant to say it to me?_ Audrey didn't get another wink of sleep, and waited until the sun rose.

Audrey quietly opened the infirmary door, but it was no use, the metal handle squeaked and alerted the doctor of her presence.

'Ah, I remember you.' He said, peering over his spectacles, 'Audrey, right?' The tall, pale man was sat in a worn, leather chair behind a counter. He stood and gave a small cough, 'Can I help you?'

Audrey looked around the room. It was a small room, with various cabinets and shelves full with antibiotics, antiseptics, anti-depressants and antihistamines. She approached the counter and couldn't bear to look the doctor in the eye, she felt like a chastised student.

'Do you have any of those…' Audrey motioned her finger in a circle as she tried to think of the word, '...morning after pill things?'

The doctor raised and eyebrow and pushed his spectacles back up onto the bridge of his nose. He gave a short cough and turned to gesture at the full shelves, 'We have everything here.'

As the doctor turned back around, Audrey noticed a nametag on the tall man's white coat. The name was "Gracie".

'You need to start being more careful, my girl.' The doctor muttered as he pulled a box from the shelf and plonked it in front of a nervous Audrey. He also placed another small box of condoms in front of her, 'On the house.'

'Thanks Dr Gracie.' Audrey gave a shaky smile and stuffed the box of condoms into her pocket.

'Oh?' The doctor paused, and looked down at the name on his coat, 'I'm Dr Barnes. This used to belong to my wife, Dr Gracie.' He glanced down at Audrey below the rim of his glasses and sniffed, 'She was the light of my life.'

Dr Barnes tapped a bony finger on the box of morning after pills, 'These are like golddust. One second, my girl.' He disappeared into a back room, and returned with a small glass of water and placed it in front of Audrey. Fiddling with the box, he popped out one of the pills and placed it in Audrey's palm.

'I can't be giving you the whole box. As you may have noticed, you're not the only lady here, and things happen.' He raised his bushy eyebrows again and scratched his forehead, 'You just need to be much more careful.'

Audrey placed the pill on her tongue and took a swallow of water. It went down easily, and she returned the glass on the counter, 'I'm sorry.'

'No, don't be sorry, my girl. Sex is a natural part of life, it's just-' Dr Barnes carefully sat back down in his seat, 'We're now living in a world where the key component of life, reproduction, is something to be feared.' He pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose, 'Having children used to be regarded as a blessing, but now it's considered a curse. I hate what the world has become.'

Audrey remained silent and stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. She shrugged her shoulders, 'I guess the world is what you make it.' She pulled out a couple of tins of tuna and stacked them on the countertop.

Dr Barnes waved his hand, 'No, my girl, this one's on me.' He gave a chuckle, 'Do you really think I'd refuse Negan's lover the morning after pill? My life is worth more than that.' The Dr leant back in his chair and smiled, 'Just take what I said seriously. We have limited supply.'

 _Negan's lover? Is that what I'm known as?_ Audrey slid the tins back into her jacket and said her goodbyes.

It was still considerably early in the morning, and not many workers were awake. Audrey had nipped into the canteen to grab an apple. As she bit the first chunk out of the fruit, she noticed a middle aged lady cursing at the floor as she mopped frantically. Audrey approached the woman.

'Are you okay?'

The woman looked up and her eyes were full with fear once she realised who Audrey was, 'Y-yes, I'm fine.'

Audrey noticed this sudden change in character, and her heart sank. She didn't want to be considered a tyrant. Placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, Audrey spoke a gently as possible, 'Please don't be worried. I'm not here to cause trouble.'

The woman wore a bland dress and had her hair up in a messy bun. She had wrinkles in the corners of her eyes, but had the brightest eyes Audrey had ever seen.

'What's your name?' Audrey asked.

The woman's eyes shifted around the room, once she realised Audrey was truly alone she replied, 'Violet.'

'Now, why are you swearing at the floor?'

The woman took a deep breath and spoke quietly, 'The men here live like pigs. I've mopped this entire room twice this morning, and I have to start again because they don't know how to clean up after themselves.' It was as if a weight was lifted off Violet's shoulders, she cracked a smile for the first time in a while, 'You're Audrey, right?'

'Yeah, I'm kinda new here.' Although Audrey had been there a few months now, Audrey still considered herself as a newbie.

'Well, you're not as bad as I first thought.' Violet grinned wider, and tucked some loose, black hair behind her ear, 'You really gave it to that Carmel.'

Audrey looked at the floor, a slight pang of shame caused her to press her lips together, 'Yeah, I apologise. You shouldn't have seen that.'

'Nah, don't worry hun. Apart from having to clean that damn mess, she was a bitch anyway. We're living in an apocalypse, I've seen worse, trust me.'

'Let me help you.' Audrey grabbed the spare mop which was propped up in the bucket.

'Well, aren't you an angel?' Violet smiled.

They both mopped and talked until the room sparkled. Audrey learned that Violet used to be a teacher before the world went to shit. She only taught preschoolers, but loved the job dearly. Violet was also a mother of four; her two middle children had unfortunately been taken by the walkers and all she had left was her 16 year old daughter, Maddison and 5 year old son, Rex. Violet wasn't a religious person, but she prayed for her departed children every night as it gave her comfort. Hearing the story broke Audrey's heart, and she even hugged Violet, much to the confusion of passers by. They returned to the topic of Violet's job.

'How come you don't go back to teaching?' Audrey asked, wiping sweat from her forehead.

'There's barely any kids here, plus, Negan won't allow it.'

Audrey frowned, 'Why?'

'My skills are better used elsewhere, apparently.'

'So who teaches the children?'

'Some old guy who can't even see properly.'

Audrey crossed her arms and furrowed her brow, 'Really, now?' It had perplexed Audrey as to why she hadn't thought of this earlier. Of course there were children in the Sanctuary, not many, but there were enough to fill a couple of classrooms. She had been so blindsided, and ignorant about the fact that they weren't receiving a proper education - considering her job was to man the watchtower - it wasn't her business to be snooping around the children's areas so she'd never questioned it.

'I'll ask Negan about it.'

'Please don't.' Violet grabbed Audrey's arm and squeezed, her eyes seemed desperate, 'I'm fine, it's fine how it is.'

Audrey couldn't find the words, it was very clear that these people still feared Negan, and this fear would only rub off on her, 'Okay, I won't. I promise.'

Violet smiled and grabbed Audrey's hand, 'You really are an angel.' Violet brushed some hair from Audrey's face and tapped her cheek in a playful, motherly way, 'Now let me finish up in here.'

Audrey was stood in her watchtower, one hand kept the rifle steady, the other hand held a small book which she was trying to inconspicuously read. She kept it hidden behind the wooden wall which housed the rifle stand, and instead of keeping her eyes on the perimeter, she kept glancing down to read.

'Slacking off?' A voice came from behind her.

Audrey dropped the book and spun around, glancing at Negan who was leaning against the side, drinking a thermos of coffee, 'You've made me lose my page.'

'Aww.' Negan teased, walking towards her and picking the book off the floor. He scanned the front of it, and his eyebrows raised, 'Wow.'

'Come on, give it back.' Audrey blushed, trying to grab it from him but he was too tall.

'You're into some freaky-deaky shit!' Negan laughed into his coffee, 'Is she tied up on the cover?'

'It's a romance novel!' Audrey pouted, giving up on trying to take her book back.

Negan couldn't stop laughing, and eventually gave it back to Audrey. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, 'You're so cute when you're mad.' Negan twirled his finger in the air and smirked. 'C'mon. You have a job to do.'

Audrey turned back around and steadied the rifle again, 'Don't you have stuff to do?'

Negan perched himself on the wooden stool next to Audrey and sipped his coffee, 'Nope. Absolutely fucking nothing.'

'I find that hard to believe,' Audrey snorted, shaking her head.

'Fuck, well I thought I'd come annoy you all day. Plus, I'm hiding from all the shit I need to do.'

'Well, fuck, you can't be doing that. You're the big boss man.' Audrey looked over her shoulder at him, and saw him beaming. Her heart skipped a beat, but something was niggling in the back of her mind. Now was a better time than any.

'I took the pill this morning.'

'The pill?' Negan took the last gulp of coffee and placed the thermos beside him.

'Yeah, morning after.'

'Ah.' Negan scratched his head and shifted in his seat, 'Yeah. Shit, sorry.'

Audrey sighed, 'Don't apologise, it takes two to tango.'

There was a short silence between them, a lingering question on each other's lips, but none had the courage to ask it. Audrey was keeping her eye on the outskirts of the perimeter, but she swore she could feel Negan staring at her. Her heart raced as fast as her mind. The words were there, but she couldn't string them together.

Eventually, Negan broke the silence, 'I have something to tell you.'

Audrey's grip tightened on the gun as he continued.

'I got rid of my wives this morning.'

Audrey almost dropped the rifle as she turned to face him, 'You killed them?'

'Fuck, no!' Negan stood up and ran a hand through his hair, 'I'm not a fucking killing machine, you know. I never punted a woman off a fucking balcony yesterday.' The side of Negan's mouth curled up, waiting for Audrey to giggle, but it never came, 'I fucking disbanded them or some shit. They're working within the factory now. Definitely keeping the men's fuckin' spirits up.'

'Why did you do that?'

'Isn't it fucking obvious?' Negan grabbed Audrey's hands and brought them together, his large hands enveloping hers, 'I don't need them.' He looked down at her, his eyes getting lost in hers. Audrey had to look away as her face burned red.

'Negan…'

'No, don't ask, I'm not undoing this shit.'

'No, Negan.' Audrey's hands began to shake within Negan's, and when he noticed, he pressed his eyebrows together.

'Audrey?'

'This morning, you said _I love you_.'

Negan's eyes grew as wide as saucers and he opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His eyes shifted and he ran a hand over his beard, 'Excuse me?'

Immediately regretting what she'd said, Audrey waved him away, 'No, I'm sorry, forget it.'

Negan took a deep breath and coughed into his fist, 'I don't recall saying that.'

'You were asleep.' Audrey's voice was quiet and remorseful, 'I think you were dreaming of your ex-wife.'

'Lucille?'

'Yeah.'

Negan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, 'I gotta…get shit done.' Negan hesitantly turned and left the watchtower, leaving Audrey alone.

Audrey felt like she was sinking through the floor, _have I screwed everything up? I shouldn't have opened my big mouth._ Audrey returned to her rifle and tried focusing on the job, blinking back tears and feeling her throat close up.

Her shift had naturally dragged, and she replayed the recent encounter with Negan in her head over and over again. Each time, she gave it a different outcome. What if she'd not told him? What if she'd laughed it off?

Audrey entered the cloakroom and threw her woolly hat on a hook. A goon came into the room, and clocked her standing there with the rifle.

'Yeah, return that as soon as possible. The boss wants everyone returning their rifle to the armoury before anything else.'

'Since when? Can't I go pee first?' Audrey moaned, throwing her jacket on a wooden bench.

'No. Negan's orders. Do it quick.' The goon left and Audrey gave a massive sigh and threw her arms by her sides.

Dragging her heels, Audrey finally reached the third floor. She approached the armoury, and two armed guards stood either side of the door. One of them lifted his arm, blocking her way.

'Gotta get that gun checked.'

'Checked?'

'Boss wants to check all guns at the end of each shift.'

'Fucks sake! Can't you just do it?'

'Negan's orders.'

Audrey placed a hand on her forehead and gritted her teeth, 'Where is he?'

'Beats me.'

Audrey growled and kicked the wall, 'I just wanna relax!' She stormed down the corridor and slammed doors along the way.

Audrey thumped on Negan's door. He opened and spotted Audrey looking at him with thunder in her eyes. She looked tired, and less than impressed. She rested her head against the doorframe and lifted the rifle, 'Check it, I'm fucked. I just wanna go to bed.'

'Yeah, just leave it outside.' He replied, keeping the door half-closed.

Audrey rolled her eyes and propped the rifle against the wall and sighed, 'All done?' Audrey asked, lifting up her head and noticing Negan acting a bit shifty.

'Come in.' He said softly, opening the door fully.

Audrey dragged herself into the room, and through her tired eyes, she saw a large vase of red roses sat on the table.

'Eh?' She grimaced, looking at Negan, then back at the flowers.

Negan closed the door and came behind Audrey. He looped his arms around her waist and put his chin on her shoulder.

'What's going on?' Audrey asked, enjoying the warmth of the hug.

'They're for you.' Negan kissed the back of her shoulder and squeezed her tighter.

Audrey placed a hand over her mouth, 'How did you find roses?'

'Took a while.' Negan chuckled, taking in the scent of her subtle perfume. He released his grip and spun her around. A wide smile grew on his face, and his eyes twinkled.

Audrey swallowed hard and stared up at the dangerously handsome man. He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. Audrey held one side of his face as the kiss slowly became more intense.

Before anything became too heated, Negan pulled away and gazed at her smiling, dimpled face.

'There's a small problem.' Negan whispered, his voice as rough as his stubble.

Audrey tilted her head and frowned, 'Problem?' Her wide, blue eyes caused Negan to bite his lip and take a deep breath. He leaned in closer and whispered into her ear, 'I _do_ love you.'

When he pulled back, Audrey's face was a picture. A mixture of shock, happiness and confusion. Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried her best to hold them back as he stroked her cheek, wiping a tear with his thumb.

'I fuckin' mean it.'

Audrey opened and closed her mouth, unable to speak. She smiled through the tears and her head fell onto his chest. Negan held her close and gently rocked her.

'Don't cry, Audrey.' Negan lifted up her chin and tenderly kissed her. She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips harder against his.

'I love you too.' She muffled between tear stained kisses.


	20. Chapter 20 - Rain Fire

Negan yawned and rolled onto his side and grabbed his watch from the bedside table, accidently knocking off an empty condom wrapper in the process. He squinted through blurred morning-eyes and seen it was 8AM.

'Shit.' He'd overslept, since he's usually up a couple hours earlier. Negan was surprised his men hadn't come chasing him. He extended his arm backwards towards the other side of the bed, and it was empty. He tapped around the area, but Audrey wasn't there. Jolting upright, he saw Audrey sat on the floor hugging Pablo. She had her arms wrapped around his furry neck, and she seemed to be crying on his shoulder. She was wearing one of Negan's oversized robes.

'Audrey?' Negan asked, slowly getting out of bed and walking over to her.

She didn't respond, but sniffed and wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. Negan stood over her, and held out his hand. He sighed through his nose.

'Come on.'

Audrey grabbed his hand and he pulled her up, and he saw the side of her mouth curl up, 'You're naked.'

Negan looked down at himself, then back up at her, 'Well, shit.' He tucked sections of Audrey's messy hair behind her ears, 'Next time I fuck you, I'll wear a bathing suit, fair?'

'Don't be ridiculous.' Audrey smiled, her wet cheeks bunching up, 'You're a bikini kinda girl.'

Negan chuckled and pulled her tight against his bare chest. The smiles and laughs didn't last long, and Audrey had started to sob into him again.

'Why are you so fucking emotional this morning? Was it my performance last night?'

'No, you dick.' Audrey snorted, playfully hitting him, 'I just miss my dad.'

Negan took a deep breath and stroked her hair, 'Oh baby, I'm so sorry.' Kissing the top of her head, Negan was curious to know what actually happened to him. He vaguely remembers Audrey telling him that he was in the military, he was pretty high up in ranks. Her father was pretty much the reason she's such a good shot today. Audrey's late sister, Olivia, wasn't too fussed about guns, but Audrey couldn't get enough. It was the only way she could spend precious time with her father, since he was constantly moving around and being deployed in locations around the world. He would come home with an arsenal of handguns and bullets, and Audrey would be fascinated, however her father had already instilled a stern sense of discipline when it came to handling guns.

'What happened to him?' Negan asked gently, caressing her hair as if she were fragile.

'It's complicated.'

'I have all the time in the world.' Negan said, knowing that was a white lie, but for Audrey, he'd _make_ the time.

'Can we?' Audrey motioned towards the bed, and they both got back under the sheets. Negan lay on his back, and Audrey rested her head on his chest. Her fingers danced through his chest hair as she thought of how to word it.

'Basically…' Audrey swallowed hard and closed her eyes. Tears started to pool in her eyes again, and her voice started to shake, '...when the world turned to shit, we boarded ourselves up in our house. Luckily, I had not long split from my ex-boyfriend, Kyle, and was living back with my parents. Olivia had always lived with mum and dad.' Audrey took a deep breath and exhaled through pursed lips.

Negan stroked her arm and kissed her forehead, 'Take your time.'

'When we boarded ourselves in, we saw our neighbourhood collapse. Our lifelong friends, neighbours - all walkers. The sweet old lady that lived next door was eating her fucking husband. It became quite clear that we had to leave, but had no fucking clue where to go.' Audrey closed her eyes as she recalled the memories as if they only happened yesterday, 'We hopped into dad's army jeep, and just drove. We fucking drove for miles and miles. We ended up coming across Alexandria by pure chance.'

'Oh, shit.'

'They were hesitant to let us in, but after seeing how strong...brave...and equipped my dad was…' Audrey's voice began to quiver again, 'They welcomed us. A red-headed woman, named Deanna. She helped us grow within the community and we thrived for a long time.'

'Was Rick there?'

'No, this was before. After a few months, my mother became...ill, in a sense. She began talking to herself, she stopped eating, never laughed or smiled, and I'd find weird marks on her arms. My dad tried talking to her - but he was never good with showing emotion.' Audrey gave a weak giggle as she thought of her father trying to open himself up to her mother, he was terrible, it was something which provoked her mother to laugh for the first time in a long time. That was precious. The memory of seeing them sat on their porch, her dad pulling faces and her mother holding her stomach with glee. The image of them never left her, their faces were clear as day in her mind. Her father was a clean shaven, muscular gentleman with a tendency to lose himself in quiet thought - her mother was the opposite, voluptuous and full of sunshine, never wanting anyone to go without.

'She disappeared.'

'Huh?' Negan asked, becoming ever more curious to hear the full story.

'She just wasn't there one morning. Everyone looked. No-one could find her. My dad was at his wits end, I could tell he wasn't coping.'

Negan held Audrey tighter, knowing she was getting close to tears with every word.

'Dad and I went outside Alexandria to look. We were out for 8 hours. I was filthy, I climbed trees and waded through dirty puddles. My dad eventually found her, she was not far from Alexandria at all, perhaps a mile out. She was sitting under a large willow tree. My dad and I got closer and realised-' Audrey began to cry again, and took a small pause as she wiped her wet eyes on Negan's chest, '-she wasn't my mum anymore. Her eyes weren't blue anymore, they were this misty grey colour. I was fucking terrified. It was definitely her, and she looked up at us and stood up. She was all slouched, and as she got closer, that's when I saw the marks on her forearms. The large, bloody gashes. She had taken her own life.'

'Fuck.' Negan breathed, his own heart rate becoming fast from the intensity of the story.

'She started shuffling forwards and making a growling noise, and all I could hear was my dad screaming her name. I'd never heard him scream so loud before. It made my blood run cold. He was my hero, my knight in shining armour. I thought he was never scared of anything until this moment.' Audrey wiped her eyes and sniffed loudly, 'He didn't shoot. He fucking couldn't. She got a hold of him, and he just...gave up. He dropped like a leaf. So I grabbed that fucking gun, and I shot them both. My dad was already dead before I shot him, but I couldn't bear thinking of them wandering the earth like that. It broke me, Negan.'

Hearing his name, Negan kissed her head and rocked her as she sobbed into his chest. 'You've been through some serious shit.' He whispered, feeling her cling to his chest hair. 'You won't have to do anything like that again. I fucking promise.'

'You're not fucking going.' Negan ordered, closing the truck door that Audrey had just opened.

'I need to. I can do this.' She replied, opening the door again with feisty force.

'On your fucking _own_?'

'I'm with several of our best men, Negan.' Audrey climbed into the truck and sat down, she closed the door and leaned against the open window frame.

'Do I fucking look like I give a flying shit? You're not fucking going Alexandria by yourself!'

Audrey raised her eyebrows and nodded towards the flurry of armed guards piling themselves into the truck.

'Yeah, I fucking understand you'll be with them, but I-' Negan lowered his voice, '-I don't fucking _love_ them, do I? If I lose you...'

'Listen, my first run. I'll be there and back within a couple hours. I promise.' Audrey extended a hand from the window and cupped his chin. Negan sighed deeply and shook his head.

'I don't fucking like this.' Negan's face remained stern, as he placed a kiss on Audrey's lips. She held his face and kept him there a few seconds longer.

'I'll be fine. I'm with Simon.'

The odd looking, mustachioed, right-hand-man waved at Negan when he heard his name. 'I'll look after her _real_ good, Negan.' He wiggled his bushy eyebrows, joking around.

'Lay one fucking finger on her-' Negan barked, pointing a finger at Simon.

Audrey cupped Negan's face again and moved his eyeline towards hers. 'I'm _fine_ , Negan.'

Negan's eyes turned almost puppy dog-like as the engine started up. He kissed Audrey's hand before she rolled the window up.

As the trucks rolled away, crunching along the gravel, Negan ran a hand through his hair and paced around on the spot. 'Fuck.' he growled.

'So what's going on between you two, huh?' Simon asked, cackling at the thought as they sat in the front of the truck. Trees whizzed past and a few walkers were crushed underneath the heavy wheels, causing them to slightly jump in their seats.

'What do you think?' Audrey asked, fiddling with her handgun which sat in her lap.

'Well, you're definitely fucking.' He grinned, resting his elbow on the window ledge and propping his head up on his fist, 'Never seen him become so fucking obsessed with a chick before. No offense, but I prefer the smaller girls. Never thought you were his type.'

'Charming.' Audrey smirked, looking out the window and seeing nothing but trees.

'Hey, honesty goes a long way!'

'It really does! I don't go for the creepy uncle looking types anyway, so you're safe.'

'Fucking, ouch!' Simon laughed, slapping his knee, 'Son of a bitch.'

Audrey smiled to herself and a sharp pang of regret hit her hard. _What if Alexandria think I'm a joke?_ As the thoughts ran through her head, the truck came to a harsh stop, throwing both Audrey and Simon forwards in their seats.

'The fuck?' Simon yelled, slapping the driver on the back of the head.

'Look!' The driver pointed in front of the truck.

There was a row of cars, all lined across the road, blocking any chance of movement. A few tall figures stood in front of the cars, all masked. Audrey began to shake, she hadn't prepared herself for any of these encounters, it was supposed to be a simple run.

The masked figures held large guns, all of which were pointing at the trucks. One of the strangers spoke: 'Get out of your trucks and surrender your guns.'

Simon's eyes were wide with panic, and he looked across at Audrey who was hiding behind the front seat, checking her gun to see if it was loaded correctly.

'You think that small fuckin' thing will do anything?' Simon hissed, trying to figure out what to do. He pulled out his radio and quietly spoke to the other trucks behind him, 'When I give the signal, rain fire. One…two…'

Suddenly, the masked figures unloaded bullets into Negan's trucks. The sound of metal pinging, and windows smashing caused Audrey to scream. Simon was hit in the chest and he fell back onto the seat like a ragdoll.

As bullets continued to batter the trucks, the sound was deafening, and Audrey tried her best to stay calm, but blood from the driver's blasted skull splattered onto her face. The guy that was sat in front of her was also getting pummelled with bullets, and a stray bullet managed to hit her in the shoulder. Pain and fear rushed through Audrey's body, and she started to see bright lights twinkling in her eyes. Looking over at Simon's blood stained shirt and the unrecognisable bodies of the front driver and passenger, bile rose in her throat.

Instinctively, she felt her injured shoulder, and her sleeve was already soaked in blood. Audrey's eyes grew heavy as she mustered the strength to open the car door. She had no plan. _Where would I go? There's no escape._ A dense forest lined the road, and she thought of her chances of losing them between the trees. _Slim, very slim_. Feeling herself getting weaker, she extended a leg out of the open door, but toppled over backwards, landing onto Simon. The truck interior warped and spun as her breathing became shallower.

Just then, she could feel someone holding onto her leg. With one strong tug, she was pulled from the truck and collapsed onto the road below.

'This the one?' She heard a voice say.

'Yeah.'

'She dead?'

'Nah. That's even better.'

'Load her up. Grab one of their fucking radios. This is gonna be good.'


	21. Chapter 21 - Breathless

It was deadly silent. Simon half-opened his eyes and groaned. Pain seared through his chest, and he looked down to see sticky blood all over his best plaid shirt. He was in a weird position, and as he struggled to sit up, his neck was stiff and he could only take shallow breaths without his lungs burning.

'Shit.' he grumbled, managing to keep himself upright, and his head throbbed.

As Simon looked around, all he could see was blood, broken glass and bullet holes. The people in the front seat were completely unresponsive and their bodies were riddled with holes. The car door opposite Simon was wide open, and Audrey was nowhere to be seen. There were little drips of blood where she was sat, but no other trace of her remained.

'Shit, shit, shit!' Simon said through gritted teeth as he clambered out of the truck. The sun was setting, and Simon wondered how long he'd been out cold as it was lucky he hadn't been eaten by walkers. He looked in front of the trucks, and the masked men and their cars were gone. He leaned against the car bonnet and caught his breath, his chest was wheezy, and every time he inhaled, his wound gave a sharp pain.

'Negan…' Simon breathed, sounding like he'd just run a marathon, '...he's gonna fucking kill me.'

He gathered all his strength and opened the front passenger door, he rummaged through the dead man's pockets and holsters, no guns. Instead, a faint buzzing sound came from underneath the corpse. Shifting him aside, he grabbed the device, a radio.

He banged on the side of the truck, 'Hello?' No response, 'Anyone still fucking breathing?'

There was still no answer, and Simon began to panic. He clicked the side of the button on the radio.

'Hey, anyone on the channel?'

There was a short pause, 'Simon?'

'Oh, shit, Negan, thank god!'

'Simon where the _fuck_ are you? Why isn't Audrey answering her radio? What the everloving fuck is going on? You were fucking due back hours ago!'

'Negan, we're fucked. I'm stranded out here, I'm the only goddamn one left. I've been shot and I have no fucking weapon. I'm _fucked_!'

'Only one left? Where the _fuck_ is Audrey?'

'I-I dunno, I just woke up, she's not fucking here. They must've taken her.'

' _Who_?' Negan bellowed, causing Simon to move the radio away from his ear.

'Some fucking masked men. I have no idea who they were.'

There was no response on the radio. Simon waited with bated breath for Negan's loud response...but nothing, 'N-Negan?' Simon climbed back into the truck and closed the door. He placed a hand over his chest and lay his head back on the blood stained seat.

After an hour's time, there was the familiar sound of trucks approaching.

Audrey awoke and her back felt stiff. It would've taken her a couple of moments to realise where she was...if she knew. She had been lying on the ground in the middle of the forest. She brought her hand up to her shoulder and gave a sharp inhale through her teeth. Audrey had been shot during that altercation on the road, and she had no idea where she was now.

She was in the middle of a clearing, along with a parked car and the two masked men chatting alongside it. One of them spotted her moving and gave a sigh.

'You're not going anywhere.' One of the men laughed, leaning against the side of the car. He was able to smoke a cigarette through the mouth hole in the balaclava. A puff of wispy smoke blew into the air.

Audrey wasn't tied up or gagged, but she knew that if she even tried running away, she'd most likely be shot. So instead, she sat there, as the men sniggered to each other.

'What're we doing here?' Audrey asked, trying to keep her breathing steady.

'Waiting.' The smoking man replied, flicking his cigarette butt at Audrey.

Audrey sat there, holding her right arm so it wouldn't move, every inch of movement sent a jolt of pain through her shoulder. Clenching her teeth through the agony, she desperately searched her mind as to whether she had a radio on her, but her bubble was burst as she looked up and saw one of the men cackling into the said radio. 'We haven't got all day.'

Before Audrey would question who he was talking to, a familiar looking black truck emerged through the trees and parked alongside the men. Slowly stepping out of the car was Negan holding a radio. He spotted Audrey straight away, and he clenched his jaw, trying his hardest not to run to her. He stood opposite the men who remained where they were, arms folded.

'I'm fucking here, you bastards.' Negan spread his arms as he said this, carefully trying to glance over at Audrey subtly for any marks or wounds. When he saw her shoulder was bleeding heavily, his eyes widened.

'You unarmed?' One of the masked men asked, both of them aimed a gun at him.

'Un-fucking-armed. Doesn't take a fucking genius to realise that, and what in the everloving fuck have you done to her?' Negan motioned towards Audrey, who by now was becoming quite pale.

'No idea. Probably got in the way. But we're here for you, not her.'

'You fuckers.' Negan moved towards Audrey and the men cocked their guns.

'Ah-ah-ah, stay where you are. Go near her, you both die.'

Audrey's eyelids were becoming heavy, and she felt herself swaying side to side, using all her strength to stay upright. Blood was still seeping through her shirt and no amount of pressure was stemming the flow. 'I'm fine Negan.' She spoke, giving him a weak smile.

Negan gave a stressed sigh and nervously scratched his neck, 'The fuck do you guys want?'

'You.'

Negan laughed and shook his head, 'Well shall I bend over now? Or are you fuckers going to be more specific?'

'You need to pay for your sins.'

'What sins exactly? I have a whole fucking list.' Negan laughed.

'Kneel.' One of the men pointed to the floor.

Negan just chuckled, until one masked man moved to Audrey and held the gun up to her head. Negan fell silent.

'One more fucking word, smartass, and I'll blow her fucking head off.'

Audrey whimpered as the barrell of the gun dug into the side of her head. Negan didn't move, in fear he may cause Audrey to literally lose her head. All Audrey could smell was musty cigarette smoke and alcohol and it made her stomach turn.

The masked man facing Negan kept himself steady, 'You will surrender your weapons.' The masked man narrowed his eyes, 'I know you have weapons with you. I'm not fucking stupid. Hand them over.'

Negan had his hands raised in surrender, he paused for a few moments.

'Weapons!' The masked man yelled, digging the gun harder against Audrey's head, who by now had tears streaming down her cheeks.

Negan's eyes darted between the masked men and their cars. He turned around and looked at his men who looked just as desperate as he did. He caught the eye of an injured Simon in the front seat of the truck. He had trouble breathing. A clicking sound caused Negan to spin back around. One of the enemies had cocked his gun against Audrey, his eyes were wild. A decision needed to be made, quickly.

'They're in the trunk.' Negan nodded over to his truck parked a few feet away.

The masked men paused, as if they weren't expecting Negan to had assumed they would've had to spill blood.

'W-well, you stay the fuck there.' The taller masked man grunted, as he slowly paced towards Negan's truck. Approaching the trunk, he flung it open and peered inside.

The man holding Audrey became impatient, 'What we got?' he yelled, keeping a tight hold of her.

The man at the trunk became silent. He glanced from behind the truck at Negan, 'This all?'

'It's all we fucking have with us, goddamn it.'

'We'll take it. But we'll be back to collect more another time.'

'I fucking double dare you.' Negan laughed, tickled at the fact that some idiots believe they're on par with the Saviors.

The masked man holding Audrey found it difficult to keep her upright, and he suddenly felt her whole body become limp. He let go of her, and she fell to the ground. Negan saw this and jumped up from his kneeling position.

'You said you wouldn't fucking hurt her! We had a fucking deal!'

'I-I didn't do anything!' The man quivered, desperately pulling Audrey's head up and lightly slapping her cheek, 'I think she's out cold.'

'How the fuck can I trust you?' Negan clenched his fists and was tempted to hurt the taller masked man who jogged towards his car with an armful of guns. It would make him feel a hell of a lot better, but more importantly, Audrey wasn't moving and it scared him not knowing why.

Now in possession of the guns, the masked men slowly withdrew and drove away in their cars, leaving Audrey on the ground.

Negan immediately ran over to her and scooped her up. Her head fell limp in his arms, 'Get the fucking trucks ready, now!' Negan yelled at his goons, sweat dripping down his brow.


End file.
